Final phase of Waikīkī beachfill

A small mountain of dredged sand has emerged on Kūhiō Beach, as the planned beach replenishment project enters the final stage, reports Hawaii DLNR.

The project started on January 26 and has been successful in retrieving approximately 20,000 cubic yards of offshore sand and stockpiling it on the beach in anticipation of final placement in the Royal Hawaiian to Moana Beach cell.

The project retrieved sand from a large sand field in shallow waters about 1,000-feet offshore.

The DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands Administrator, Sam Lemmo said, “We encountered a few delays, but after three months, we are happy to announce that the pumping phase has been nearly completed and we are ready to move the sand on to the beach.”

Yesterday, DLNR together with contractors Kiewit Infrastructure Group and American Marine, and the Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District Association (WBSIDA) announced an updated truck hauling and sand placement schedule as the project enters the final stage.

Beginning April 26th, trucks will be moving sand six days a week (Mon.-Sat.) from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Dolan Eversole of WBSIDA explained, “Instead of hauling sand seven half-days each week, as originally planned, this new schedule should cut the total days on site by at least two weeks. That means a shorter duration of interruptions and disruptions for beach-goers and surrounding businesses and completion of the project in time for the summer holiday season.”

The sand placement will start at the Diamond Head end of the Royal Hawaiian beach cell near the Duke Kahanamoku statue. The placement will progress 100-200 linear feet down the beach working towards the Royal Hawaiian groin each day with the completion set for mid-May.

This is the second time in a decade Waikīkī has had a sand replenishment project and Lemmo thinks, due to sea level rise, this will be necessary over the course of the next few decades, every 5-10 years.