HAUULA, Hawaii (KHON2) — North shore residents have something else to look out for after transportation officials said a portion of Kamehameha Highway near Hauula collapsed under the weight of a large truck on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The truck was removed and the roadway was opened shortly after the incident, according to officials.

Hauula resident Derrick Pressley came outside right after the road collapsed under the truck.

“He was coming off the roadway, he made a turn and he was making a turn. His truck broke down in a crater where the road was under mined, where there’s no support under the road structure,” Pressley said.

“I was like oh no, you know, déjà vu, here we go, I hope no one’s hurt.”

Derrick Pressley, Haula resident

Pressley spoke to the driver and said he did not need medical attention. 808 Hauling Services was able to get the truck out on their own and the Transportation Department said gravel and rock will be filled in as an immediate solution. Additional protection work will be done later in February, but some argued those are short-term efforts and not a real fix.

“A real fix would be something that doesn’t fall apart where the kyowa bags fall off into the beach, or they can be cut open by people and where large king tide waves come in and after three years to fix is completely gone,” Pressley said.

The incident in Hauula is new, but area residents told KHON2 that it is an example of what they have been afraid of for a long time — the highway collapsing right as vehicles drive over.

“I’ll tell you, this road is not safe right now. This road is undermined and these cars that are actually on the water side should not be driving on this road way,” Pressley said.

The Department of Transportation said a 6-month project to replace the retaining bags of rocks with boulders and rubble will start in mid-February, but finding a solution for every resident along Kamehameha Highway will be a longer process.

“In order for us to make sure we can move forward on that long-term solution, we got to have that conversation of what that community’s going to look like, where it’s going to be, what kind of decisions we got to make as a state to ensure that we can protect everybody and service everyone while we’re doing it,” said Ed Sniffen, HDOT director designate.

“And you’re right, this is the time to have that, to start having that conversation, that real conversation on whether or not you can stay in your home that you’ve been in for all of your life,” Sniffen said.