Docks B, C, and D at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor are framed with aluminum that is corrosion resistant, with heavy duty polyethylene, topped with plastic composite decking. It's a stark contrast from how it used to look.
"It was a total disaster prior to construction but it looks like these docks will be here for a while," says boater Jeff Hossellman.
The project which began in November, cost the state $2,850,000. But it also opens up 174 new slips, which the state says can generate up to $28,000 a month.
Laura Thielen from the State Department of Land and Natural Resources says, "Ror a total of about $340,000 per year that can go back into improvements in harbors and ocean recreation across our state."
The state has put in more than five million dollars of improvements at the harbor, which many of the boaters say was long overdue. Another two million is slated for the next year to replace concrete piers. Some are considered unsafe.
The governor calls it a wise investment as it creates jobs to improve the economy.
Governor Linda Lingle says, "The future doesn't go away when times are hard, we still need to invest in our infrastructure, in our harbors, our parks, our highways, our airports, and not allow ourselves to get so far behind."
State officials say the engineering and materials used for the improvements are also a good investment. With the new floating docks, repairs can be made much easier than the old fixed docks made of concrete.
"So that's gonna allow us to keep these facilities operating a lot longer than the old facilities and maintain them at a lot less cost and a lot quicker for many of you," says Thielen.
