Niu Valley residents living below a rock outcrop estimated to weigh 4 to 6 tons will not have to evacuate today when work begins on breaking off the overhanging boulder, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said.

Workers with contractor Janod Inc. drilled 3- to 5-foot-deep anchor holes Tuesday into the rock outcrop, to which anchors will be attached, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.

They will connect a net mesh over the outcrop today and connect it to anchors to contain it.

Workers will install a fence on the downslope side today to catch any smaller pieces before they break off the rock outcrop.

Residents were evacuated two weekends ago when the contractor removed a 7- to 10-ton boulder that sat on the edge of a ridge above Haleola Street near the rock outcrop.

Janod workers will break up the rock into smaller pieces today and Thursday and remove them by helicopter to the back of Niu Valley Friday and Saturday.

They also will clean up the site and transport equipment and unused materials off the ridge Friday and Saturday.

"With careful consideration and in partnership with state and county agencies, we will be completing the safe removal of the boulder, broken into smaller pieces and bagged, and doing everything we can to ensure the public’s safety," DLNR Director William Aila Jr. said in a news release.