Wailuku Bridge lane to reopen today

The Wailuku Bridge is scheduled to fully open Friday after state workers closed the Hamakua-bound lane Thursday for repairs.

A state Department of Transportation spokesman said the work should be complete by 7 a.m.

The Highway 19 span, also known as “Singing Bridge,” crosses the Wailuku River and is Hilo’s main transit point for traffic heading to and from the Hamakua Coast.

The one-lane closure started at 11 a.m. Thursday. Workers alternated traffic between Hilo- and Hamakua-bound directions.

The DOT spokesman said deteriorated “steel members” were being replaced. He said the repairs weren’t considered structural.

They were being conducted after DOT received reports of a “flapping” sound generated by traffic crossing the bridge, the spokesman said.