A long-awaited loading dock at the Maunalua Bay boat ramp will be ready for use this weekend, state officials announced.

The new, modern-style dock, constructed at a cost of about $400,000, is wider and longer than the original one, which closed two years ago, and is made of a marine-grade aluminum frame with structural, plastic lumber, and corrosion-resistant hardware.

State officials closed and condemned the old dock in December 2018 after reports of sagging concrete, indicating signs of structural failure, according to state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation engineer Finn McCall.

Within a few days, the dock, which was made of pre-cast concrete, completely collapsed, McCall said. Contractors removed the remnants of the pier in March 2019.

This morning, contractors were putting the finishing touches on the new dock, which is complete and ready for use this weekend, according to McCall.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience during this long period of construction,” said McCall in a news release. “I know many boaters are very excited to see this project completed. Now it will be easy to load and unload boats, and most importantly, safe.”

The new dock, made of all-new materials, is expected to last at least 30 years, and is representative of the new design the state will use as aging docks are replaced, he said.

Among some of the factors in the delay for the construction of the new boat dock were the time it took to get required permits, he said, along with the procurement process — as well as some delays in the delivery of materials which were caused to some degree by the pandemic.

“It’s almost on time and on budget,” State Rep. Gene Ward told the Star-Advertiser, noting it took more than three years to move a sewer line under the highway for an earlier restroom project at Maunalua Bay Beach Park.

“It’s finally here,” wrote Ward in a a celebratory tweet on Thursday. “On behalf of the fishing, recreational and boating community in Hawaii Kai, a robust shout out and mahalo to DLNR for replacing the Maunalua Bay loading dock on-time and on-budget, (well almost).”