Hawai‘i Police Department (HPD) is reminding motorists to drive with caution on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (DKI Highway/Saddle Road), due to increased traffic congestion between the Mauna Kea Access Road and Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area as a result of the Mauna Loa eruption in the Northeast Rift Zone.
Mayor Mitch Roth’s Emergency Rule #2, issued November 30, 2022, prohibits parking and traversing/walking on the Daniel K. Inouye (DKI) Highway and its shoulders between the 16-mile marker ending at the intersection of the DKI Highway and Highway 190 (also known as Hawaiʻi Belt Road). Pursuant to Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Section 127A-29(a), any person violating this Rule shall be guilty of a violation and, upon conviction, fined not more than $1,000.
“Safety is our number one priority,” said Major John Briski of HPD’s Area I Operations Bureau. “We continue to ask for voluntary compliance with parking restrictions and will be issuing citations, and towing vehicles if necessary.”
Since the eruption began, police have issued 28 citations related to parking issues in prohibited areas along Saddle Road.
The State Department of Transportation has lowered the speed limit on portions of DKI Highway approaching mile marker 28.5 as part of the County’s Traffic Hazard Safety Plan. The revised speed limit approaching mile marker 28.5 will be reduced by 10 mph increments until it is 35 mph. The speed limit returns to 60 mph roughly 3,000 feet from mile marker 28.5.
To increase public safety and reduce traffic congestion, the County has implemented a traffic hazard safety plan along the DKI Highway. The plan provides a one-way traffic pattern on the Old Saddle Road, with the entrance located directly across from the Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area. The route spans 4.5 miles to a junction point located just before Puʻuhuluhulu. Parking will only be allowed on the right side of the road and no vehicle can remain in the area for more than 90 minutes.
Hawai‘i Police Department urges motorists to be extra vigilant when driving on DKI Highway and to not take risks to view the lava event. Poor decisions can lead to catastrophic results, which the police are trying desperately to avoid taking place.