Department of Land and Natural Resources

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR

SUZANNE D. CASE CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate News Release December 7, 2017

ROCKFALL MITIGATION WORK COMPLETED
AT DIAMOND HEAD STATE MONUMENT

HONOLULU — A project to remove rockfall hazards along the Diamond Head State Monument summit trail has finished, a week ahead of schedule. The popular trail will reopen for normal day time use, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily tomorrow, Friday, December 8. 

Curt Cottrell, State Parks administrator, said, “The Diamond Head State Monument hike remains one of the top visitor experiences and a favorite of local school groups, summer program participants and resident hikers. We appreciate the patience of park visitors with partial trail closures for safety during work above the trail.”

He added, “Over one million people per year hike the historic and former military service trail to marvel at the extensive interior construction of the stairs, tunnels and fire control stations. The summit of Diamond Head hosts the panoramic 360-degree view, which is why it is one of the most visited State Parks. However, the soft, crumbly rock (volcanic tuff) that Diamond Head crater is composed of is susceptible to deterioration from the natural effects of erosion. This slope stabilization and hazard mitigation is necessary to improve the safety of our park visitors and to reduce slope erosion from accreting onto the surface of the trail.”

Prometheus Construction received a $1.72 million contract from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to mitigate rockfall hazards at Diamond Head. During this project, partial closures of the summit trail were necessary for public safety.

The “crater park” inside the crater floor (the parking lot, restroom, and visitor center and gift shop and lunch wagon) remained open during most of the work.

A first phase of work on the exterior ocean side of Diamond Head crater took place in late spring, above the area where Beach Road meets Diamond Head, over a total distance of less than 200 yards. Rock scaling work was done to retain the natural appearance of the slope while reducing the hazards.

In mid-April, a second phase of work was completed to remove rockfall hazards above the Kahala Tunnel entrance, while keeping the natural appearance of the slope. Most of this work was done in the evenings, after the crater was closed.

The third and final phase of work began September 18, 2017. It involved rock scaling, placement of anchors, and constructing erosion-resistant (shotcrete) surfaces. It was originally expected to be completed by December 15, 2017

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Media contact:

Deborah Ward
DLNR Communications Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320