The Royal Hawaiian groin, located between the Waikiki Sheraton and the Royal Hawaiian hotels, was originally built in 1927 and was in an extremely deteriorated condition. Failure would have resulted in the destabilization and loss of 1,730 feet of sandy shoreline located to the east of the groin. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) proposed to replace the existing Royal Hawaiian groin with a new, stable, engineered groin.
Sea Engineering, Inc. was contracted by DLNR to design the new rock groin, complete an Environmental Assessment, obtain the necessary State and Federal permits and approvals, and provide engineering services during the construction of the groin. Groin construction was successfully completed in August 2020. The project received the ASCE Best Special Project Award in September of 2020 and the 2021 ASCE Project of the Year, Region 8.
