$3.3M in renovations aimed at Ala Wai Golf Course

A more than $3.3 million safety improvement project at the city-run Ala Wai Golf Course will start later this month.

The city Department of Design and Construction said work will begin July 14 to improve aged and degraded pedestrian and vehicular bridges at the
municipal golf course at
404 Kapahulu Ave., on
the perimeter of Waikiki
and the Ala Wai Canal.

The work, expected to take place weekdays from
7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., excluding holidays, is scheduled for completion by December 2026.

Awarded to MOCON Corp., the golf course project includes removal of the existing pedestrian bridge and the construction of a new one between the driving range and its parking lot, the city said.

“The current pedestrian bridge is deteriorated and the vehicular bridge has a severely damaged concrete culvert,” DDC Director Haku Milles said. “These conditions pose structural safety concerns and could impair both pedestrian access and vehicle flow between Kapahulu Avenue, the clubhouse, parking lot, and the driving range — all essential for daily operations and
emergency access.”

He added “both of these bridges were completed circa 1975, as part of a
Honolulu Redevelopment Project, so are approximately 50 years old.”

Milles noted no upgrades to these bridges have previously occurred.

Access to the clubhouse, driving range, golf course and parking lots will remain open throughout construction, the city said.

During the construction period, the public is advised to use caution when traveling through the area and is asked to follow all posted warning signs, barriers,
traffic control devices and personnel instructions.

The city said the sorry state of the affected bridges had not sparked any public concerns.

“We have not received any complaints about the actual condition of the bridges, but rather the inconvenience of closing off access to the pedestrian bridge from the driving range parking lot,” Jordan Abe, the city’s golf course system administrator, said. “We took a proactive measure to have the bridges inspected and found the condition of the driving range pedestrian bridge to be unsafe for public use.

“Therefore, we immediately closed access to the bridge and the parking lot,” he added.

As far as the two bridges causing injuries or accidents to golfers or the public at large, the city said it has received no such reports.

“Zero reported accidents related to the use and condition of these bridges,” Abe said.

According to the Hawaii Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the 18-hole Ala Wai Golf Course is deemed flat and sporty, with views of Diamond Head, the Koolau mountains and Waikiki skyline.

Designed by Donald MacKay, the course opened in 1931 and spans 6,208 yards, the group states.

The Ala Wai Golf Course is one of six golf courses operated by the city Department of Enterprise Services. DES is the only city department with an operating budget primarily funded by revenue generated from public events and activities, according to the city.