(BIVN) – The contract to dredge Pohoiki following the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea has been awarded. 

The $9.2 million contract to remove accumulated lava debris and restore a wide entrance channel for the existing Pohoiki boat ramp has been awarded to Goodfellows Bros., the lowest bidder on the project.

Dredging work could begin by February 2025, with an anticipated completion in November. The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation continues to work on acquiring all needed permits.

The popular Pohoiki Bay was transformed by the lower East Rift Zone eruption in the summer of 2018. Black sand and lava debris inundated the bay, and landlocked the boat ramp.

DLNR noted that “East Hawai‘i commercial and recreational boaters have been waiting for this news, as until the Pohoiki ramp is useable they’ve been forced to utilize the Wailoa Small Boat Harbor in Hilo which is about an hour’s drive away.”