This may be a dumb question..

[freespirit]

I was wondering and I know nothng about it so thought I would ask. Please excuse me if the question seems really far out as I am ignorant when it comes to lava.

If the lava crosses 130. How long before the state could work on opening up that part of the road again? From the reports I have read I think that the flow now is more of a surface flow? I could be wrong but if it is flowing mostly on the surface would it not cool down rather quickly once it passes and then the Hwy could be worked on to open up again?

Or could it be years before it would be able to be opened up again?

I may be totally off base here - just trying to understand. Our home like many others would be landlocked should the Hwy and the alternate lower routes, beach road and railroad be covered with lava.

Chain of craters if opened would mean about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Hilo which would be about the same distance to Kona.

Has anyone heard or have any ideas on the future of 130 should lava cover a portion of it?

Does the lava keep flowing and flowing like a river? It looks like in the arial photos of where the lava has already flowed has already cooled down through the forest and has hardened. Again I know nothing about lava so please excuse if this question seems like way out there.

[TomK]

I don't think your question can be answered at this time (i.e., crossing Hwy 130). Assuming the flow crosses 130 then nothing can be done until it actually stops. There's no point trying to reopen 130 if it continually keeps being covered, and that's ignoring the fact that clearing a hot lava flow is likely impossible. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Yes, surface flows might cool down a little more faster, but underneath that solidified lava there is likely still a very hot supply of molten lava (the solidified rock above helps to insulate it and keep it hot). I wouldn't want to be the person asked to clear a new lava flow across the highway.

[alaskyn66]

Thinking of it as a slow motion flash flood might help.


When in Rome.. Do as the Romans do....

[TomK]

Good analogy, but also a flash flood that doesn't stop until the rain stops, and then only sometime afterwards.

[leilanidude]

Being partially landlocked among the least of one's worries with this flow.
Electric, internet, cell towers, landline phones, all rely upon cables that cross the road.
If the cables get taken out, all of that goes away.

[freespirit]

Ok thanks everyone.. your explainations helps me to understand how a lava flow works.

Electric there are ways over the lava and again that depends on how wide of a path of poles it takes out. So again until it actually happens nothing can be accessed.

Much Mahalo for the explainations on the lava!

[Hotzcatz]

Until it stops, they aren't likely to rebuild the road since it would just get covered again. Chain of Craters road was covered decades ago and still hadn't been reopened. Although I don't know if that was because of lack of need since they'd been fixing the Pahoa-Keaau highway or because of continued lava danger. Perhaps some of both.

IMHO a passenger ferry between Pohoiki and Hilo might be some method of moving folks in and out, but how long does it take a ferry to get between Hilo and Pohoiki? Would that work for folks who wanted to go to Hilo for the day and come back the same day? Is there a landing at a closer point? Although you're back to building infrastructure in a lava zone again.

---

"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson

[VancouverIslander]

Chain of craters road was likely not opened because of regular active flows over it's right of way for most of the last 30 years (right up to the Kahaualea II flow started)

[lavarat]

Chain of Craters Road was repaired after the initial flows in the 80's, but the flows returned and took it out again. A rough road was then put in to Royal Gardens, but that was also taken out again around 2002.