Nanue Bridge on Hawaii Belt Road, Route 19, in North Hilo has been weight restricted to 12 tons following a motor vehicle crash on Saturday, February 5, 2022.

The northbound vehicle veered onto the right shoulder while approaching the bridge and proceeded off the cliff, striking the bridge’s support column before coming to a rest in the ravine below. In addition to the posting of the bridge, the Makai (northbound) lane over the bridge near Mile Marker 18 has been closed until a structural inspection is completed and the engineer has determined the bridge to be safe. The Department of Transportation, Highways Division (DOT) will conduct emergency repairs in order to restore the integrity of the structure.

In response to this serious situation, DOT is declaring this portion of Hawaii Belt Road in the
vicinity of Nanue Bridge to be a traffic emergency zone in accordance with Section 264-1.5,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, which provides the Governor or the State Director of Transportation
with emergency, powers to establish traffic emergency zones to provide access to designated areas
to protect public health and safety in cases of highway closures.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this serious situation, please contact our
Highways Division Deputy Director, Edwin Sniffen, at (808) 587-2156 or by email at edwin.h.sniffen@hawaii.gov.