On Monday, a district court judge ruled to allow the dismantling of Haiku Stairs to proceed.
A contractor hired by the City and County of Honolulu started taking steps to remove the iconic stairs on April 10, but Friends of Haiku Stairs, a nonprofit, filed a lawsuit nine days later to halt the work.
The City agreed not to remove any of the stair modules until the conclusion of an evidentiary hearing held on Friday, but said they expected to move forward as planned.
On Monday, Judge Lisa Cataldo denied the plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
In her ruling, Cataldo wrote the plaintiffs failed to prove the removal of Haiku Stairs would irreparably harm them, especially because hiking Haiku Stairs has been prohibited since 1987.
“The City appreciates the court’s significant efforts to address this lawsuit quickly, and we will proceed with the removal of the Haiku Stairs as planned,” said City spokesperson Ian Scheuring.
However, he said, with the severe weather, the City’s contractor is not expected to fly any of the stair modules away from the mountain for at least a few days.
He also emphasized the stairway is currently an active work zone and considered hazardous.
“The City is not responsible for injuries sustained by thrill seekers who violate posted ‘No Trespassing’ signs and enter an active construction zone, where access is restricted to authorized personnel only,” said Scheuring.
Honolulu Police Department officers stationed at the bottom of Haiku Stairs have been citing and arresting people attempting to access the closed hike.
Friends of Haiku Stairs did not respond to a request for comment.
The demolition is expected to cost $2.5 million and take six months to complete.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.