Kukui‘ula harbor getting new dock

KUKUI‘ULA — Work to repair the boat ramp at Kukui‘ula Small Boat Harbor started Tuesday when a team from Sea Engineering of Honolulu arrived on Kaua‘i with equipment and materials.

“We’re waiting on the tide,” said Cobey Maldanado of the Sea Engineering team that earned the $292,292 contract put out by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

“The rest of the team is out getting supplies while we wait. We need to work quickly so nothing dangerous like the re-bars is left behind when we are done for the day.”

The Sea Engineering team will remove the existing, damaged, wooden loading dock and replace it with a new dock made with an aluminum frame with lumber made from plastic and a fiberglass decking.

“This is the new type of docks the harbors are getting,” Maldanado said. “We just recently installed the same type in Hawai‘i Kai on O‘ahu. It should be sturdier than the wood ones.”

During construction, the boat ramp will remain open with the exception of two days, the DLNR announcement said. The ramp will be closed for one day to pour concrete for a new abutment and pile caps, and then a second day for setting the new loading dock in place.

Once the closure dates are determined, the DLNR DOBOR Kaua‘i District staff will notify boaters of the closure.

The project is anticipated to be complete by Nov. 5.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.