David Y. Ige

(Honolulu) – Construction has been completed on the replacement for the 93-year-old Royal Hawaiian Groin in Waikīkī. As construction crews completed clean-up of the site and staging areas, signs reading “Danger- Keep Off” and “No Diving” were affixed directly to the groin. Because of the high amount of Japanese tourists that visit the beach, signs have been installed in both English and Japanese.

The new, sloping, rock rubble mound groin is 180 feet long and between 30 and 40 feet wide. Its height ranges from +4.0 feet above mean sea-level at the seaward end, to +9.0 feet above mean sea-level at the landward end. The old groin was approximately 370 feet long, with roughly half of it curving underwater and had partially failed. The design objective of the new groin is to stabilize the beach fronting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and eventually restore the shoreline to its pre-2012 position.  No additional sand was included in this project, but plans are underway to conduct beach maintenance in the Royal to Moana beach cell this Fall.

Sam Lemmo, the Administrator of the DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) explained, “This is the first construction of a permanent structure on Waikīkī Beach in 50 years and highlights the need to continue to make much-needed improvements to Waikīkī Beach. This project is the first in a series of improvement projects planned for Waikīkī that will upgrade some of the degrading infrastructure on Waikīkī Beach, creating more stable beaches and result in a more resilient and robust economy and community.”

“The Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District Association (WBSIDA) is pleased to see this long-awaited project be completed during this time of recovery and renewal for Waikīkī and the State.  “The WBSIDA is proud to be a partner on this important project and be at the forefront of forward-looking beach management plans and improvement projects currently underway or planned in Waikiki.” said Rick Egged, WBSIDA President.

The $1.5 million, 10-week-long project was supported through a public-private partnership with the WBSIDA. It funded half of the project through a special tax assessment from Waikīkī commercial properties. The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College program provided outreach and coordination for the project and will be involved with project monitoring and evaluation.

Additional details on the project and groin are available at:
https://www.wbsida.org/projects-royalhawaiiangroin

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RESOURCES  

HD video- Royal Hawaiian Groin Construction (May 15, 2020)
https://vimeo.com/419129216

HD video- Royal Hawaiian Beach Groin Sign Installation (August 13, 2020)
https://vimeo.com/448005203

Photographs- Royal Hawaiian Beach Groin Sign Installation (August 13, 2020)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ogerwi671o79umk/AABpMeob8mnhSJdBlFHv55zLa?dl=0  

Media Contact:
Giovonni Parks
Communications Specialist
(808) 587-0396
[email protected]