HILO, Hawaii, Feb. 26: Today, the County of Hawaii issued an Emergency Rule announcing the closure of Waipio Valley Road to visitors as a precautionary safety measure and to further assess and mitigate the road's conditions, effective Friday, February 25, 2022. To limit vehicular traffic, the road remains open to Waipio Valley residents, farmers, property owners and lease holders with agricultural businesses in the Valley only. The decision is based on recommendations provided in a geotechnical assessment done on Waipio Valley Road, which outlines the immediate need to mitigate rockfall and address slope instability and erosion, for everyone's safety. "The Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau (IHVB) fully supports the County of Hawaii's decision to close Waipio Valley Road to visitors until further notice," said Ross Birch, Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau executive director. "Understanding the community's concerns about tourism's impacts on this s...