Pohoiki Bay dredging projected to begin in February
Puna residents and lawmakers are eager to get boats back in the water when the Pohoiki Boat Ramp reopens in late 2025.
The boat ramp — the ocean access for boaters in Puna — was rendered unusable in 2018 when lava from Kilauea’s Lower East Rift Zone eruption raised a sandbar in front of the ramp. Since then, area fishermen have been forced to launch from Hilo and sail around the island to work in Puna waters, an expensive and time-consuming process.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Boating and Oceanic Resources has long been developing plans to reopen the ramp by dredging part or all of the newly formed beach. On Thursday the department announced that it had awarded a $9.2 million contract for the dredging project to Goodfellow Bros., with work expected to begin in February.
