Speed limit reduced along Kuhio Highway in Kilauea

The Hawaii Department of Transportation says it will reduce the speed limit on a portion of Kauai’s Kuhio Highway in Kilauea from 50 mph to 35 mph, starting Tuesday.

The new 35 mph speed limit will go into effect — with new signage — in both directions on the highway, also known as Route 56, between Pili and Kalihiwai roads in Kilauea.

The speed limit is being lowered to improve safety, officials said. Previously, the speed limit in the area varied from 40 to 50 mph, depending on direction of travel.

“A consistent and manageable speed supports operations at the four intersections with no traffic signals, two bus stops, one uncontrolled crosswalk, and community park access in this 1.2-mile section of Kuhio Highway,” Transportation officials said in a news release.

Last month, two women were hospitalized after they were struck by a pickup truck while crossing that stretch of Kuhio Highway in a marked crosswalk near mile marker 9.

One of the women, Tanya Hall, 50, of Kapaa, died after the crash. The second, a 52-year-old California woman, was hospitalized for several days. Police arrested the truck driver, Clayton Silva Sr., 65, of Kapaa, for negligent homicide, negligent injury and inattention to driving.