#pohoiki boat ramp

County of Hawaiʻi is set to reopen the park on Wednesday, Nov. 12 following the closure for crane dredging at Pohoiki Boat Ramp.

The important boat ramp in Puna has been unusable since the Kīlauea eruption in 2018, and now it will be years more before it can function due to a failed dredging project.

Closure is necessary to support public safety efforts during crane dredging operations at Pohoiki Boat Ramp, which is located at the park.

Finn McCall with the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation says crews look to be about halfway done with the excavation portion of the project to reopen ocean access to boat ramp that has been landlocked since 2018 eruption of Kīlauea; looks like they could be done ahead of schedule.

Career fishermen and generations of fishing families have been waiting for access to the ocean since the 2018 Kīlauea lava flow blocked the Pohoiki Boat Ramp eight years ago.

The state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation awarded a $9.2 million contract to dredge Pohoiki Bay to Goodfellows Bros., the lowest bidder on the project.

Dredging at Wailoa became a critical concern for Hawai‘i Island boaters after the Pohoiki boat ramp was surrounded and cut off by lava during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano.

When asked what Puna’s ocean access priorities were following the 2018 Kīlauea eruption, pollsters said it will take more than one solution to address the issue.

If everything goes smoothly, a planned $5.4 million dredging project could begin as early as next February or March and be finished within 6 to 9 months to restore ocean access to the Puna community.

With the release of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s draft assessment report of the lava-impacted areas, work to restore roads, waterlines and park facilities will begin mostly likely 2024.

Recovery efforts have been frustratingly slow on all fronts during the nearly five years since the catastrophic Kīlauea eruption ended in September 2018, leaving a big wake of destruction. But work and property buyouts continue five years later.

The Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation is proposing dredging and excavating most of the volcanic debris from the 2018 Kilauea eruption that landlocked the boat ramp, severely curtailing fishing, emergency services and other commercial, recreational and food subsistence activities that previously relied on ocean access there.

The state is hosting an online public meeting Wednesday to discuss the draft environmental assessment for the project that would reopen ocean access at the boat ramp in Puna.

It’s been almost five years since the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano and resulting lava flow landlocked the Pohoiki boat ramp, yet the battle continues for funding to dredge the beach and reopen access to the ocean.

Since taking office Dec. 5, 2022, not only has Gov. Josh Green diagnosed problems, he’s already prescribed and suggested solutions to treat many of Hawai‘i’s issues, including homelessness, affordability and climate change, as well as addressing government transparency and housing, among others. 

Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green has included in his budget request to the State Legislature funding for three long-desired Big Island infrastructure projects.

Revitalize Puna activations provide space for conversation, but the emphasis is on action and empowering community members to get engaged and make an impact.

Various repair plans for the Pohoiki Boat Ramp were presented to the State Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday, Feb. 26.

A community meeting will be held on July 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Sacred Hearts Church Pāhoa, 15-3003 Pāhoa Village Road, to discuss the Puna boat ramp study.

The engineering study found that no matter where the state builds a ramp along the lower Puna Coast, it will be challenging.