Oceanit’s Resilient & Sustainable Engineering (RiSE) team was hired to perform a seawall condition assessment at the historic Queen’s Beach seawall in Waikiki. The project site sits between Kapahulu Avenue and the War Memorial Natatorium, running along the shoreline paralleling Kalakaua Avenue.
Oceanit was also contracted to provide planning, design, permitting, and post-design services for this historic Waikiki seawall section, which extends from the Queens Surf Beach groin to the Waikiki Aquarium. The City & County of Honolulu project will address this approximately 500-foot-long, severely eroded, section of the seawall.
High tidal conditions and rising sea levels, in addition to summer swells, created holes in the seawall’s foundation, which stands about 10 feet high on the makai side. There has also been damage to the wall’s concrete cap, which poses a public safety hazard, according to a report by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands.
So far during this ongoing project, foundation voids were filled with concrete while the historic seawall structure remained in place with a new decorative fascia, cap, and wave deflector lip being installed. Oceanit’s design preserved both the structure and appearance of the 100-year-old seawall and includes a low-maintenance area that allows easy public access from the Waikiki Promenade.
An Environmental Assessment, Special Management Area, Diamond Head Special District, Shoreline Setback Variance, Conservation District Use Permit, Section 401 Water Quality Certification, Coastal Zone Management Consistency Review, Section 404 Department of the Army Permit, Archaeological Report Review, Threatened and Endangered Species Review, and Marine Life Conservation District Approval were all required prior to start of construction.
The project is ongoing in 2021 in collaboration with the Honolulu Department of Design & Construction.
