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By Mindy Pennybacker
Honolulu residents Alex Drouin, Charlene Caron and Mark Smith step from Leahi Beach Park onto waterfront walkway at Diamond Head after metal fence blocking access was removed Monday.
MINDY PENNYBACKER / MPENNYBACKER@STARADVERTISER.COM
A waterfront walkway to and from Leahi Beach Park is seen today. The city announced today that a fence blocking the passageway has been removed.
The fence at the makai boundary of Leahi Beach Park at Diamond Head has been removed, the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation announced today.
The Leahi fence and a matching metal barrier at the makai boundary of Makalei Beach Park were erected on Christmas Eve due to public safety concerns, city parks Director Michele Nekota said.
The fences blocked access to a shoreline path atop a sea wall stretching between Leahi and Makalei beach parks.
In 2012, a Honolulu resident claimed she was injured while stepping between Leahi Beach Park and the walkway, and sued the city and the state of Hawaii; the lawsuit was settled for $275,000 in 2018.
On January 10, after fielding public complaints for 17 days, DPR removed the fence from the Makalei end of the walkway but left the fence on the Leahi side.
To address safety concerns, warning signs will be posted, Nekota said.
The public once again can access and transit the shoreline along the path.
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