Categorized | News

Akaka Falls State Park closed for improvements

MEDIA RELEASE

Akaka Falls State Park will be closed through Friday, Dec. 12 for the installation of concrete sidewalks and stairways as part of the final phase of safety improvements.

The park’s features include lookouts at Akaka Falls and Kahuna Falls, a 0.4-mile loop footpath connecting the two lookouts, and a landscape of tropical plants and trees.

“Akaka Falls State Park is one of the top Big Island destinations for residents and visitors,” said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairwoman. “These improvements are a key component of the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s ongoing efforts to upgrade our state parks statewide and to ensure safety and comfort for all residents and visitors who use the parks.”

In addition to the pathway and stairway improvements, new handrails will be installed early next year, which will not require the closure of the park. Work is expected to continue through April. The park will close for two days in late April 2009 to ensure the public’s safety, as construction equipment and machinery are moved out of the park.

“We are always reluctant to close our parks because of their use to visitors and residents but we want to ensure the safety of our park users during construction work. The contractor will provide appropriate safety barriers when the park is open during the construction period,” Thielen said.

The Division of State Parks Hawaii district office will notify tour bus companies of this project. Informational signage will be placed outside the park to alert visitors.

For more information call the park office at 974-6200 or the State Parks Honolulu office at (808) 587-0300.

Akaka Falls State Park is located at the end of Akaka Falls Road (Highway 220) and 3.6 miles southwest of Honomu. It features a self-guided walk through tropical vegetation and to scenic vista points overlooking Kahuna Falls and Akaka Falls, which plunges 442 feet into a stream-eroded gorge.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

Quantcast