City investigating sinkhole; Entrance to Ala Moana park remains closed

The Atkinson Drive entrance to Ala Moana Regional Park in front of the Waikiki Yacht Club remains closed today as city officials work to determine the extent of a football-sized sinkhole that forced the closure of the road Wednesday.

“The Department of Parks and Recreation is currently working with the Department of Design and Construction and a contractor to excavate and see the extent of the sinkhole, investigate what caused it, and recommend appropriate action for repairs,” Parks and Recreation spokesman Nathan Serota wrote in an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser today. “We believe this will be a similar situation to the sinkhole experienced on the opposite side of the park in July 2016.”

In July last year, a sinkhole shut down the Ewa entrance to the park near Kamakee Street for 10 days. Shortly after that sinkhole appeared, only a small hole was visible on the surface of the pavement, but officials said about 4 feet of roadway had been undermined beneath Ala Moana Park Drive.

Serota said that sinkhole was caused by leaking drainage pipes beneath the roadway. The 48-inch pipes, which convey tidal waters from Kewalo Basin Harbor to the lagoon inside the park, were repaired.

City officials at the time said the work was finished ahead of schedule despite delays from Tropical Storm Darby and limitations caused by tidal restrictions.

On Wednesday, police closed the Koko Head entrance to Ala Moana Regional Park around 4 p.m. after the latest sinkhole was discovered earlier in the day.