Underscoring the impact of sea-level rise and shoreline erosion in the state’s tourism hub, the Honolulu Department of Design and Construction will remove the concrete foundation of a now-relocated lifeguard tower on the shoreline of Queen’s Beach in Waikiki on Thursday.

The upper portion of Lifeguard Tower 2F was damaged by large south swells in August 2020 and was subsequently removed by the Department of Parks and Recreation. A temporary tower was installed on the mauka side of the shoreline walkway.

A permanent replacement will be installed in a nearby grassy area once the Ocean Safety Division receives the new structure. 

“Ocean Safety is happy to partner with our Department of Design and Construction and the Parks Department on the removal of this public safety hazard,” said Capt. Adam Lerner, Honolulu Ocean Safety Division’s supervisor for operations on the south shore of Oahu. 

“As we re-evaluate our towers and their placement nearly 20 years ago on these concrete pillars, we are pleased to be able to be nimbler in the shoreline and make sure our newly installed towers are moveable,” Lerner said. “Being more flexible gives us the best chance at preserving equipment during natural disasters in order to ensure we are set up to keep the public safe in the aftermath of huge swells, tsunamis, or hurricanes.”

Kaikor Construction Company, Inc. will use heavy equipment to complete the removal of the foundation. The city is asking park users to avoid the area.

According to a report on coastal change over the past century by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, 70% of beaches on Kauai, Oahu and Maui are undergoing long-term erosion.

An estimated 5.5 miles of beach on Oahu has already disappeared, according to the report.