KAHULUI, Hawai‘i – The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) is notifying motorists that all lanes on Puʻunēnē Avenue (Route 3500), between Papa Avenue and Kūihelani Highway (Route 380) will be closed nightly beginning, Monday, Sept. 8 for utility crossing and pavement reconstruction work.

On Monday Sept. 8, the closure will be from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day, Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Then beginning Tuesday Sept. 9 through Friday, Sept. 12 and again from Monday, Sept. 15 to Friday, Sept. 19, the closure will be nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day, with the last closure of the week ending at 5 a.m. on Fridays. Work may be completed sooner than Friday, Sept. 19.

During the work, through traffic heading north will not be permitted at the Maui Veterans Highway (Route 311) and Puʻunēnē Avenue intersection. Those wanting to travel to Kahului will need to detour by making a right turn heading east onto Mayor Elmer F. Cravalho Way (Route 3800) and turn left onto Dairy Road.

Those wanting to travel to Wailuku may turn left at the Maui Veterans Highway and Puʻunēnē Avenue intersection and head west onto Kūihelani Highway. Maui Lani Parkway off of Kūihelani Highway will take highway users into Wailuku and will offer another route to Kahului.

Highway users heading west on Mayor Elmer F. Cravalho Way will be prohibited from turning right onto Puʻunēnē Avenue. Highway users heading east on Kūihelani Highway will be prohibited from turning left onto Puʻunēnē Avenue.

See: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Puunene-TCP-Main.pdf

At the Papa Avenue and Puʻunēnē Avenue intersection, traffic will not be allowed to head south. There will be no right turns from West Papa Avenue onto Puʻunēnē Avenue and there will be no left turns from East Papa Avenue onto Puʻunēnē Avenue.

See: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Puunene-Night-Utility-TCP-Papa-.jpg

Access to homes on East and West Hawaiʻi streets will be through East Papa Avenue for residents only. Puʻukani Street at Puʻunēnē Avenue will be be closed.

The work is part of the Puʻunēnē Avenue improvements project designed to help improve traffic flow and enhance vehicle and freight circulation with the addition of more lanes and updated traffic signalization on one of central Maui’s main thoroughfares.

A large portion of the project consists of widening Puʻunēnē Avenue from two to four lanes between Wākea Avenue and Kūihelani Highway to be in line with the rest of Puʻunēnē Avenue.

All work is weather permitting. For construction schedule updates or changes, see HDOT’s social media pages on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HawaiiDepartmentOfTransportation and on Twitter/X @DOTHawaii.

 

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