Q: What are bulldozers doing inside Diamond Head crater? I saw them and what looked like freshly cleared dirt roads during a hike. Bulldozers working on
Diamond Head trailA: It's part of a state project to stabilize the first 1,100 feet of the popular hiking trail in the crater.
The $158,290 project, being done by Mega Construction Inc., began Oct. 9.
The trail will be closed Wednesdays and Thursdays until work is completed Jan. 23.
The trail, which attracts more than 1 million visitors a year, was severely eroded in parts, leaving a dangerous, rocky path, said Aulani Wilhelm, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The contractor is using, for the first time, a new epoxy-like substance that will be mixed with dirt and volcanic ash to produce a natural-looking path, she said.
"It's relatively inexpensive compared" to other alternatives, such as cement, which would have changed the look of the trail, she said.
Unfortunately, recent heavy rains have not allowed the epoxy time to harden. Some hikers have complained about the goo sticking to their shoes. But Wilhelm said the alternative is to close the popular trail, which officials are not inclined to do. She asks your patience.
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