City leaders have talked about building a bridge across the Ala Wai Canal from University Avenue to Waikiki since before Hawaii was a state. 

Now, almost 10 years after broaching the idea again to Moiliili and Waikiki residents — this time pitching it solely for pedestrians and bicyclists — the city plans to put out a bid for design and construction of the bridge early next year, with an estimated completion date around 2028.

Opinions on the bridge run the gamut: some want a towering new icon, others oppose any bridge at all. The division represents a larger split in how residents view Honolulu. Though the city is home to almost a million people, many still view it as laidback town threatened by rapid urbanization and development — including the proposed $63 million bridge.

After pushback last year led by Moiliili resident Laura Ruby, who has opposed the idea of a bridge at University Avenue since 2007, the city hosted two more sessions for public input on the design — and city planners heard plenty. 

Residents who want to cross the canal currently can do so along Kapahulu Avenue, McCully Street, Kalakaua Avenue or Ala Moana Boulevard. But supporters of the proposed bridge say these options leave a sprawling mile-and-a-half long gap in the middle of the canal. 

The proposed bridge, called Ala Pono, would connect University Avenue in Moiliili to Kalaimoku Street in Waikiki. It’s part of a larger vision to bolster bike and pedestrian access in and out of Waikiki. With the proposed bridge, students at the University of Hawaii Manoa would have a straight shot down into the heart of Waikiki, where many of them work and hang out.

The area has a colorful history. A former swamp, Waikiki was drained by the Ala Wai Canal and turned into a tourist haven. With so many visitors in proximity to some of the state’s densest neighborhoods, residents are sometimes suspicious of city projects they see as catering to Waikiki’s tourist-driven economy, including a plan they worried would protect Waikiki from flooding at the expense of inland neighborhoods. The bridge is the next big political fight.

Landmark Vs. Simplicity?

About 250 residents stopped by Ala Wai Elementary School’s cafeteria on a recent Wednesday and Saturday to evaluate 19 options. Competing contractors will incorporate this input into their design pitches, and the city hopes to decide on a winner based on design and cost by the end of next year.

“I don’t drive,” UH student Dalan Kam said at the Wednesday session. “Right now, my only options are either to go through Kapahulu — which is kind of like, slow — or walk through McCully, which isn’t a very pleasant experience. And I’d just really like to see another option to get into Waikiki.” 

His favorite design is option one: the city’s original, 180-foot tall design, which critics say blocks views of Diamond Head and is too large and complex for the location. But Kam, who said he studies design at UH, sees things differently.

“I like landmarks,” he said.

Ruth Bades, who lives by the intersection of Dole Street and University Avenue, said she likes the idea of a pedestrian bridge to Waikiki. But she prefers something lower profile.

“I like a simple design,” she said.

This question of whether to build something utilitarian versus a new icon for the city — which Department of Transportation Services director Roger Morton said was part of the original goal — came up last year when the city received $25 million of project funding from the Federal Transportation Administration. 

Sticker Shock

While a variety of federal sources would cover 80% of the cost, many people still were perplexed by the estimated $63 million sticker price for the original bridge design. The cost became fodder for critics, and Ruby — the Moiliili resident who opposed it in 2007 — successfully pushed for more community meetings.

She worries that connecting Waikiki and Moiliili will lead to more crime and noise in Moiliili, though last year she leaned toward advocating for something low-profile.

Last Wednesday, she and her allies solicited signatures for a petition to conduct a full environmental impact statement, which would likely add years to the planning process. A 2021 report previously found there would likely not be a significant impact, however, quashing the likelihood of a longer review.

But Ruby’s opposition last year didn’t fall on deaf ears. When the City Council allocated money for the bridge in June during its annual budget process, it required consideration of design options beyond last year’s controversial rendering.

Rebecca Mazur, who lives across the street from the elementary school, said she walks to the beach in Waikiki about once a week. She gravitated towards two opposing designs: one low-profile, the other a more iconic fishnet that leans over Ala Wai Boulevard and blends in with Waikiki’s taller buildings.

“I like how it kind of resembles a fish scale … or maybe like a sail of a ship,” she said. “I think if it is going to be this big structure, it should represent the aquatic lifeline of Hawaii.”

“If not, I just like the simple ones,” she added.

The Ala Wai area is slated for big investment in the coming years. Besides the proposed bridge, flood walls along the canal are proposed in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan, and a protected two-lane bikeway is planned for a future repaving along Ala Wai Boulevard, along with a reduced speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph, city spokesperson Travis Ota said last month.

Morton said last week’s bridge designs are all designed to fit with these other plans. He hopes to have three finalist contractors bidding on the bridge project next year, which will help the city — along with historic preservation groups and other interested organizations — move forward with one of the city’s biggest upcoming infrastructure projects.  

“The process doesn’t really have to be low-bid; it’s really best value and best fit,” Morton said. “But price is a big component.”