While tourism to Hawaii has virtually ceased and only a trickle of people stroll the famed Waikiki Beach each day, the pandemic has allowed the state's largest resort area to move ahead with infrastructure and other projects.
In 2019, the state legislature designated $13 million to help fortify the beaches along Hawaii's most visited stretch of sand, and now, with far fewer people around, the projects can move faster than previously anticipated, the Associated Press reported.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has approved the start of an approximately $2 million project to replace a seawall near the Royal Hawaiian and Sheraton Waikiki that protects the area from waves and slows beach erosion. Prior to the Covid-19 social distancing orders and travel restrictions, the seawall project was not expected to start until fall.
Additionally, an environmental impact statement for a $10 million Waikiki Beach Master Plan is ongoing. The state has also begun dredging Ala Wai Canal in Waikiki and restoring the canal wall, work has started on Waikiki road improvements and construction continues in Centennial Park.
In 2018 roughly 6 million visitors stayed in Waikiki, more than half of the state's total visitors, and the resort area typically hosts 88,000 tourists on any given day.