Waipio Valley public access closes Friday for holiday weekend

Waipio Valley Road descends 900 feet in less than a mile and has an average grade of 25 percent, though some areas are steeper. (Chelsea Jensen/West Hawaii Today)

In anticipation of large crowd gatherings for the Labor Day holiday weekend, combined with the lack of resources to enforce COVID-19 safe physical distancing practices, the County of Hawaii Department of Public Works announced Monday it is closing Waipio Valley to the public from 7 a.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.