Project to replenish sand at Waikiki Beach to be completed in May

Updated: Apr. 26, 2021 at 7:03 AM HST
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HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - After months of pumping sand from off shore, the state said the Waikiki Beach replenishment project is in its final stage.

Since the start of the project on Jan. 26, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has retrieved approximately 20,000 cubic yards of sand from a large sand field in shallow waters about 1,000-feet offshore.

The sand is currently being held at Kuhio Beach and will be placed in the area of the Royal Hawaiian to the Moana Beach cell in the coming days.

Crews will begin moving the sand on Monday. Trucks will be hauling sand six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There will be no work on Sundays and beach areas will be open with the exception of the project staging area and at Kuhio Beach.

Although the beaches will be open, areas where sand is being replenished will be cordoned off each day and marked with cones, tape and barricades for people’s safety. The state will also create dedicated entry points to allow access to the ocean.

Contractors estimated the addition of five hours of hauling each day could result in two to three fewer weeks of hauling.

DLNR said the project to save Waikiki’s eroding beach should be completed by mid-May.

This is the second time in a decade Waikiki has had to be replenished with sand.

As sea levels continue to rise, DLNR said sand replenishment projects will be necessary over the course of the next few decades for every five to 10 years.

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