KAILUA-KONA — A water main break Friday afternoon forced Hawaii County to close both lanes of Alii Drive between King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and Likana Lane.
Bob Ravenscraft, district supervisor for the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply, said road crews were mobilized and a detour was set up a little after 1 p.m. to divert traffic.
Hawaii County Civil Defense sent out an email just before 4 p.m. Friday saying the portion of road was expected to remain closed for up to five hours, or until 9 p.m., and that motorists should use alternate routes.
“That’s a fairly new main, so who knows what happened,” Ravenscraft said earlier in the afternoon. “We got to get down there and dig it up and see what’s going on.”
Businesses in the area had been notified.
The main break appeared to have occurred under the pavement in the middle of the northbound lane of Alii Drive just north of the Fish Hopper restaurant, where water was spurting from the ground. The water flow appeared constant but not overwhelming.