Ala Moana Park Gets Spruced Up
A Capital Improvement Project to repair the damaged drainage canal walls and replace two pedestrian bridges over the drainage canal at Ala Moana Park began this week.
Roughly 900-feet of the drainage canal wall between the ‘Ewa-side Japanese Pond and tennis courts will be repaired or replaced, including the portion that collapsed in 2016. The fallen sections of the existing walls will be replaced with a precast reinforced concrete wall, and the repaired wall sections will be reconstructed with concrete rubble masonry.
The pedestrian bridges over the drainage canal near Queen Street and Pi‘ikoi streets will be removed and replaced with wider bridges that align with the crosswalks on Ala Moana Boulevard. The existing bridges measure about 10’ wide and the new bridge near Queen Street will be twice as wide, while the new bridge near Pi‘ikoi Street will be triple the width. Both bridges will additionally have decorative railings and abutments that reflect the art-deco architectural features prevalent in this historic park.
“This pedestrian bridge will provide central and much needed pedestrian access to Ala Moana Regional Park, the most heavily used park in the state, and sometimes called the ‘People’s Park,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “Also to be repaired are the collapsed coral block canal wall built at the inception of the park in the 1930’s that collapsed into the canal a couple years ago. These continued improvements are all part of an ongoing effort to take care of an irreplaceable natural resource for our residents that has been neglected for decades, and allowed to degrade. The park has received much care and support over the last eight years and its incredible beauty is shining through once again.”
Exceptional Trees in the project area will be protected, however three trees along the makai-end of the canal wall will be relocated and one will be removed to reduce damage to the canal walls. The project will additionally result in the planting of 22 new palm trees, primarily near the bridge entries.
Due to the delivery of large precast materials for this project, vehicular traffic along the makai lanes of Ala Moana Boulevard will be intermittently impacted during the project, and will require partial closure. Additionally, pedestrian access at the construction site and on the two bridges being replaced will be restricted during the project. We ask the public to please be cautious in these areas during the project. The pedestrian bridges near Kamake‘e Street and the Hawaiian Pond are expected to remain open and accessible during construction.
The approximately $4.62 million contract for the construction was awarded to Kaikor Corporation.
The project is scheduled to be completed by Winter 2021. Other work has also taken place recently at the popular park at the Magic Island parking area.
If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please call DPR at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email [email protected]
