A $3.75 million repair to a segment of Waikiki’s busy waterfront is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

The city Department of Design and Construction project will occur at the Queen’s Surf Beach seawall and adjacent promenade walkway in Kapiolani Park, Ewa of the Barefoot Beach Cafe at 2699 Kalakaua Ave., the city said.

The existing Queen’s Surf seawall — a 7-foot-tall rampart of concrete rock masonry, or CRM, that’s approximately 100 feet long — was damaged in early 2024.

Likewise, the promenade walkway collapsed in May due to powerful South Shore swells.

“The city plans to repair the seawall and walkway while preserving the area’s aesthetic appeal, and we appreciate the community’s patience and support throughout the process,” DDC Director Haku Milles told the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser. “The Barefoot Beach Cafe and the Queen’s Surf restrooms remain open and will retain normal operations during construction.”

Milles explained that the city Department of Parks and Recreation informed the DDC in March of “missing rocks in the seawall face, revealing a large cavity below the promenade sidewalk.”

He added that the work “is necessary to maintain Oahu’s waterfront pedestrian path along the South Shore coastline that connects the Natatorium to the Kapahulu Groin.”

“DPR installed fencing to restrict access to the area in the interest of public safety, and emergency procurement was initiated,” he said. “Once funds were sourced, an ocean engineering firm, Sea Engineering Inc. was brought on board in May to provide geotechnical and structural assessments and a structural design to restore the rock seawall and walkway.”

Sea Engineering is also responsible for “obtaining all the regulatory permits and will be involved with the construction of the emergency scope of work,” he added.

The contractor will start by installing large sandbags in the nearshore waters around the perimeter of the damaged seawall to establish a sediment-control zone for the repair work per regulatory requirements.

The rock wall will then be reconstructed with a new concrete foundation and its face voids filled, the city said.

The cavity in the promenade will be filled with concrete, and new walkway light pole foundations are to be constructed to replace the several existing light pole foundations sinking into the cavity, the city said.

“There will be minimal changes from the land-side perspective,” Milles said.

He added that the banyan tree fronting the seawall will have its canopy raised.

“Structurally, the project will involve constructing a foundation to underpin the base of the CRM seawall, sealing the holes in the face of the seawall to prevent further washout of sediment, and providing a reinforced concrete wall behind the existing CRM seawall to further support it against lateral pressure,” Milles said.

In addition, a new walkway will be poured with a stamped concrete finish that resembles the walkway at the old surf rack location, the city said.

Construction will run Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with work hours adjusted as needed to accommodate tidal conditions. Repairs are expected to be completed within six months, barring any unforeseen delays, the city said.

Access to the affected area will be restricted during the project for public health and safety, the city said.

Signage will be placed near the Surfer Boy monument at Kuhio Beach Park and along the promenade to indicate that the accessible route to Barefoot Cafe and the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium will be via the Kalakaua Avenue sidewalk, the city said.

Construction noise is anticipated, too.

Pedestrians are advised to avoid the construction zone, and safety personnel will be present on-site to monitor activities and enforce safety measures, the city said.

Milles said DDC and DPR have “engaged with the community by publicizing project details in press releases, including project schedules and safety measures.”

“The Barefoot Beach Cafe, a city Department of Enterprise Services vendor, area Neighborhood Boards, and Legislative representatives have been apprised about the project as well,” he said.

“We acknowledge the community’s frustration with the situation,” he added. “This very popular walkway serves as a recreational resource and vital infrastructure for various users, and its current condition is disruptive.”

He said addressing the issue “required thorough analysis and assessment of existing conditions, geotechnical investigations, structural analysis and design, and acquiring necessary federal and state regulatory approvals.”

“Our primary goal is to ensure the repairs are engineered for longevity,” Milles said.

Waikiki Neighborhood Board Vice Chair Jeffrey Merz said he’s hopeful the planned work in the busy Queen’s Surf Beach area will cure a public eyesore.

“I do spend quite a bit of time down there, and I saw the damage and it’s pretty bad, and it’s dangerous and certainly ugly,” he told the Star-Advertiser. “So, I don’t know if the city fast tracked it or what, but they need to fix it, they can’t let it go.”

And he asserted the popular Queen’s Surf Beach itself is also suffering.

“I’ve lived here over 20 years, and the sand is gone; it’s eroded.” Merz said. “And that’s just the new reality with climate change and everything else. So we need to build those walls, unfortunately, because the sand is gone and then we need to maintain them.”

“If they don’t maintain them, we’re going to have more breaks like that,” he added. “And it’s a big community asset to maintain that whole walkway there.”

Meanwhile, Milles said the original date of construction of the Queen’s Surf seawall remains “unconfirmed.”

“But the nearby Queen’s Surf Groin was reportedly built in 1956, followed by beach fill,” he added. “The landward beach was reportedly constructed beginning in 1972.”