The public is getting a chance to comment on the proposed widening of Waikiki Beach.

A public hearing is slated for 6 p.m. tonight at the Waikiki Community Center auditorium, 310 Paoakalani Ave., in Waikiki.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources proposes to restore and maintain the 1,700-foot-long segment of beach between the Kuhio Beach crib wall and the Royal Hawaiian groin.

Up to 24,000 cubic yards of sand would be recovered from offshore deposits, and pumped to the shoreline where it would be placed along the beach.

The department says the project would widen the beach by an average of 37 feet, restoring it to its approximate width in 1985.