A portion of Kailua Beach Park will be closed from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Dec. 8 to 11 to allow for the removal of a dozen trees, the City and County of Honolulu said Thursday.
According to a Dec. 4 announcement from the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the closure area includes approximately 550 feet of shoreline and the adjacent parking spaces on the makai side of the Kalapawai roundabout, an area “commonly used as a designated kite-surfing launch area.”
(ICYMI: The Kalapawai roundabout project, located at the intersection of Kalāheo Avenue and Kailua Road, opened last month following the completion of construction and safety improvements to the intersection.
The city said in a November announcement that the redesigned intersection “eases traffic congestion, enhances walkability and supports Kailua’s small-town appeal while accommodating increasing visitor activity.”)
The upcoming beach park closure, though, will allow arborist and specialized DPR staff to remove 12 ironwood trees.
The city says that two ironwood trees that fell onto the beach about two weeks ago, nine standing trees that have signs of erosion and one tree stump will be removed.
DPR crews removed several ironwood tree stumps and leaning trees on the Lanikai side of the Ka‘elepulu Stream in November 2024 with the beginning of the Kailua Beach Dune Restoration Project, the announcement noted
According to the announcement, the invasive ironwood trees are commonly found along the island’s shoreline, but don’t retain much sand in their roots and "restrict other native plants from flourishing."
“Therefore, they are not particularly effective at offsetting beach erosion,” the announcement notes.
The city says that access into Kailua Beach Park from Kailua Road will remain open, as will the bathhouse and parking lot closer to the Ka‘elepulu Stream.
The daytime closures come on the heels of a three-month pilot program launched in early September that implemented nighttime closures at Kailua Beach Park.
DPR spokesperson Nate Serota told Aloha State Daily in an email that the department is assessing the input it got from the pilot park closure program and hopes “to have a decision on it soon.”
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
