Work to prepare for the installation of a traffic roundabout just beyond the entrance to Volcanoes National Park began yesterday.

The upgrades include plans to realign Crater Rim Drive and add an administrative lane at the entrance station.

Workers fenced off 33 parking stalls east of Kīlauea Visitor Center as a staging area for the traffic safety project, creating less parking.

Some sections of forest near the entrance will be removed in the weeks ahead but will be restored as much as possible.

The park’s natural resources team has propagated ʻōhiʻa and other endemic plants from the area and will replant once the work is complete. The park consulted with kūpuna about this process and is committed to minimizing the loss of forest. To prevent the spread of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death and non-native species, all workers are required to follow the park’s stringent invasive pest and green waste protocols.

The addition of an administrative lane and the realignment of the Crater Rim Drive intersection into a roundabout will improve traffic flow and address visitor experience issues. These upgrades will result in less frequent backups onto Highway 11, a major safety concern especially during eruptions when park visitation soars.

Crews will also conduct important infrastructure upgrades to water, fiber optic and electrical lines underground between the park entrance and visitor center.

The traffic safety upgrades are included with the National Park Service’s (NPS) nearly two-year Disaster Recovery Project following the eruption and collapse of Kīlauea volcano’s summit in 2018. Following the disaster, the NPS completed civic engagement, public scoping and an Environmental Assessment (EA). The park released a Finding of No Significant Impact on the plan in December 2022 to move forward with the project and the traffic safety upgrades.

Park visitors should expect limited parking, delays at the entrance station, and the potential for temporary area closures, especially if an eruption occurs. In addition to reduced parking near Kilauea Visitor Center, half the parking lot at Uēkahuna is reserved for the construction project.

Construction closures and delays are updated on the park’s new construction page: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/construction-closures.htm.

 

Photo credit: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park