HA‘ENA — Over the years, numerous hikers have been stranded on one side of the Hanakapi‘ai Stream which can flood within minutes. Plans to build a bridge crossing the stream were first assessed in 2013, and now, seven years later, the project is moving forward with all the assessments and permitting approved.
The four-foot-wide 82-foot aluminum truss Hanakapi‘ai Pedestrian Bridge that is set to be located in the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park would add about 50 feet of new trail to connect a bridge to the existing trail. Most recently, staking was set up during the surveying phase which will be used to specify bridge parts.
The project, which was initially anticipated for early 2018, is expected to take about 10 weeks, or 50 working days from start to finish, according to an environmental assessment in 2017.
“A start date for construction is still in flux – the actual bridge components cannot be fabricated until the survey data is analyzed and confirmed,” Alan Carpenter, Assistant Administrator for the Hawai‘i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources State Parks Division of State Parks, confirmed in an email. “However, at the earliest, installation will begin late summer/early fall.”
The project was put on hold because of the heavy April 2018 rains and picked back up last August with meetings with the county, and then public hearings in late 2019.
The Hanalei-to-Ha‘ena Community Association urged the Planning Commission to deny the Special Management Area permit in December 2019. In a letter sent to the commission, the association said the bridge would negatively impact the environment and encourage unprepared hikers to continue access to the Hanakapiai Beach.
The bridge, however, has the support of first responders including the Kaua‘i Fire Department who put their lives at risk when taking on rescue meetings.
“A bridge is just one more tool to safely get across,” Carpenter said in an interview.
Once in 2016, more than a dozen hikers were stranded overnight on their return to Ke‘e Beach and in 2014, more than 100 people needed to be rescued by emergency rescue crews on a two-day mission. The trail closes 20 times a year when conditions become unsafe.
“There’s always somebody on the far side of the trail who wants to get out,” Carpenter said.
The project, funded by state capital improvement budget funds, will cost about $1,468,700.
In 2017, the estimated total project cost $506,000, including abutments, micropiles, trail improvements, helicopter installation and construction, according to the initial proposals. The budget was updated after the scope of work was finalized, according to Carpenter.
The bridge will use plastic wood decking and a dark powder coating and aims to blend into the environment. It will be built in three segments, with parts flown in by helicopter and bolted together. The stream is about two miles from the trailhead.
“People are anxious about change,” Carpenter said. “It’s a major change visually, but it will mitigate death and putting first responders at risk.”
•••
Sabrina Bodon, public safety reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.
