The image above is a screen grab taken from the new website, punatraffic.com. It was taken just after 3 p.m. and shows the infamous stretch of Highway 130 where it meets Milo Street in Keaau. The highway is notorious for long, frustrating traffic jams a little farther south especially during rush hour.

by David Corrigan

PUNA, Hawaii – The volcano alert on Hawaii Island may have been downgraded, but the county is going forward with the roll out of a new traffic monitoring website for Puna.

Punatraffic.com displays images from thirty cameras that are positioned up and down Highway 130, from Keaau to Pahoa. Included are cameras on Kahakai Boulevard from the highway to Railroad Avenue in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision.

Officials say camera images refresh every three to five minutes and are meant to assist the public in making their travel plans. The website also provides estimated drive times based on current traffic conditions.

The traffic monitoring system is a part of the County’s overall plan to monitor traffic flow that may have to be re-routed as a result of the June 27 Lava Flow. The cameras were installed by ICX Transportation Group. The service went live on March 25, 2015. Hawaii County media release

The website includes USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory views of Halemaumau crater at the summit of Kilauea volcano, and of the active Pu’u O’o vent on the East Rift Zone, the source of the June 27th lava flow.

The cameras are government property and specifically programmed to only work with government equipment. Please kokua and respect this public benefit and service. Hawaii County media release

The website also provides social media links to Civil Defense and the County of Hawai`i and can be updated to inform the public about road incidents.