(BIVN) – Motorists on Highway 130 will see some changes heading towards Hilo starting on Monday.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation says there will be an alteration to the morning Hilo-bound contraflow from Kaloli Drive to Shower Drive, once the restriping work on the highway – also known as Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road – at the Shower Drive intersection is completed.

The morning Hilo-bound contraflow runs from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday.

The Hawaiʻi DOT detailed the changes:

The traffic pattern from Shower Drive to enter Hilo-bound Highway 130 will be as shown on diagram 1. (diagram graphic above) There will be no left turns into Shower Drive at this time. To access Hawaiian Paradise Park, motorists may either take the next left turn to Paradise Drive, or make a right onto Pōhaku Drive, make a U-turn, and continue straight to Shower Drive.

Hawaiʻi DOT graphic shows the changes to the Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road contra-flow at Kaloli Drive

The contraflow limits will be extended approximately 0.3 miles in both directions. This will allow for sufficient merging of the mauka contraflow lane in the Hilo-bound direction. On the Pāhoa side, this will extend the contraflow slightly beyond the Kaloli Drive intersection.

These changes will be implemented upon completion of the restriping work at the intersection of Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road and Shower Drive, which is estimated for Friday, Sept. 27, weather permitting.

Effective, Monday, Oct. 14, at the intersection with Kaloli Drive, only right turns will be allowed onto or from Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road. Hilo-bound traffic from Pāhoa will be shifted into the mauka contraflow lane on Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road to provide a dedicated right-turn lane from Kaloli Drive onto Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road. This shift will come at a later date to provide motorists time to adjust their commutes to accommodate this change. This will allow for improved traffic flow through this corridor of the contraflow. View diagram 2 here.

In summer 2019, the dedicated right-turn lane from Shower Drive was previously removed to accommodate the morning Hilo-bound contraflow from Kaloli Drive to Shower Drive. After reevaluation of traffic patterns and community input, HDOT made the decision to reinstate the right-turn lane. Preparations for this work began in August and restriping work began in September 2024.

Electronic message boards will be posted to notify motorists of contraflow patterns. HDOT reminds motorists to drive with caution and to follow all traffic control signs through the contraflow zone.