In Brief | Big Island 2-24-13

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Alternating lane closures in both directions are planned this week for waterline installations and sidewalk work on Mamalahoa Highway between South Point and Punaluu roads in the vicinity of Naalehu, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Road work slated
in many areas

Alternating lane closures in both directions are planned this week for waterline installations and sidewalk work on Mamalahoa Highway between South Point and Punaluu roads in the vicinity of Naalehu, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Alternating lane closures in both directions will also be in effect on Mamalahoa Highway between Haawina Street and St. Paul Road in the vicinity of Honalo for bank stabilization work, according to the department.

Alternating lane closures in both directions will also be in effect on Mamalahoa Highway between Waiea and Yee Hop Ranch roads in the vicinity of Kaapuna to Kaohe for roadway reconstruction work, according to the department.

Alternating lane closures in both directions will also be in effect on Mamalahoa Highway between Kiloa and Rabbit Hill roads in the vicinity of Captain Cook for bank stabilization work, according to the department.

Alternating single lane closures will also be in effect on Mamalahoa Highway in both directions between Hina Lani Street/North Kona Belt Road and Old Kona Village Road, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily Monday through Friday for roadway reconstruction work.

Crews will be working from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Road work is weather permitting.

Volunteers take to the shore to count whales

More than 650 volunteers gathered data from the shores of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii Island during Saturday’s annual Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count. The count is a yearly shore-based census that provides snapshot data on humpback whales. Participants tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the survey.

Volunteers collected data from 57 sites statewide. A total of 287 whales were seen during the 9 to 9:15 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout Saturday’s count. Weather conditions caused cancellations at a few sites, but overall, viewing around the state was fair.

Preliminary data detailing whale sightings by site location is available at sanctuaryoceancount.org/resources.

One more Sanctuary Ocean Count is scheduled to take place on March 30.

By local sources