HANAPEPE — State Department of Transportation personnel have blocked vehicle access to the perimeter road at Port Allen Airport (also known as Burns Field), upsetting residents who recreate on the facility’s makai side.
The DOT placed boulders across the roadway after a multi-agency cleanup in late April which removed nearly 20 tons of illegally dumped rubbish from the beach.
Pedestrians can walk around the boulders to reach the beach several hundred yards beyond.
But longtime Hanapepe resident Jim Armstrong and his family say the rocks must go.
“There’s no reason they shouldn’t fix this road and police the area,” Armstrong told The Garden Island.
Armstrong, a disabled veteran, says he cannot walk the distance between the boulders and the beach.
He argues local fishers and surfers, loaded down with gear, are also left out in the cold.
“There’s 10, 20 trucks there every day. Guys windsurf, foilboard, (it becomes) a really active area for surfing,” Armstrong said. “Older people like myself, they come down here instead of sitting at home … It’s not a healthy thing to take away people’s activity and recreation.”
Indeed, the road’s closure sparked some commotion on local social media. One relevant Facebook post, created soon after the boulders’ placement, has garnered nearly 200 comments to date.
Commenters who expressed frustration with the closure did not respond when contacted by The Garden Island.
The almost 20 tons of trash removed by DOT with assistance from Kaua‘i County and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources included 53 tires, 18 abandoned vehicles and mixed metal and hazardous materials.
“Blocking vehicular access for the time being is necessary to slow the illegal dumping and keep our natural coastline healthy,” a DOT spokesperson said.
The department is now fabricating a cattle gate to replace the boulders. An installation date has yet to be announced.
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
