A woman uses an electric saw to trim a board on a wooden boardwalk (NPS photo)

(BIVN) – The boardwalk at the Sulphur Banks Trail within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has been replaced and reopened to the public.

The project finished several weeks ahead of schedule. “The degraded boardwalk, benches and railings were replaced with durable, weather-resistant yellow cedar, and the foundation is now reinforced with sturdy concrete blocks,” the National Park Service reported on Friday.

The Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park trail crew and two carpenters from Yellowstone National Park did the work. Park staff will next reinstall interpretive signs along the boardwalk after they receive new mounting hardware to make the signs accessible, officials say.

Closeup of the new wooden planks on the Sulphur Banks Trail boardwalk (NPS photo)

The boardwalk provides improved visitor safety and accessibility at Haʻakulamanu. From the National Park Service:

The area, also called Sulphur Banks, is known for the bright yellow sulfur crystals that cling to lava rocks. Volcanic gases and steam waft out of the ground, making the trail a photogenic and popular experience on Kīlauea volcano.

The National Park Service expects the new boardwalk will last 15 to 20 years.

“Exposure to volcanic gas, heat, sun, and rain contributed to the degradation of the previous boardwalk originally built in 2000,” the NPS said.