Eroding Waikiki seawall repair begins

A popular walkway along a scenic portion of O‘ahu’s south shore in Waikiki will be repaired and reinforced as part of a project beginning this week.

Approximately 500 feet of seawall located along the promenade between the Waikīkī Aquarium and Barefoot Beach Café food concession is severely eroded after years of direct exposure to ocean conditions and southern swells. This project aims to reconstruct a large portion of the lower area of the promenade, while installing concrete anchors and mats to stabilize and protect these features.  

As part of this project, the contractor will be utilizing part of Kapi‘olani Park mauka of the seawall for staging of equipment throughout the project. Public access around the work site is expected to remain open, but the public is advised to please use caution and observe the restricted construction zone during the project. Several parking stalls along Kalākaua Avenue will also be restricted during the project.

The $1.9 million construction contract for this project was awarded to Kiewit Infrastructure Corp.

The project is expected to be completed before the end of 2021.  

Last January, in-house Department of Parks and Recreation crews repaired a damaged concrete wall, removed the eroded ramp, and added new curbing to the seawall just ‘Ewa of the current project site.

These projects highlight the continuing impact sea level rise is having on our coastal resources, with a half-foot rise in the ocean level measured around O‘ahu over the last 100 years and more than 3 feet of rise projected through this century. Projects like these serve as a reminder of the need for contextual planning and projects to address sea level rise and coastal erosion island wide.