Work on the Hakalau Bridge Project Begins...

Updates: August 31, 2026
The lead remediation portion of the Hakalau Stream Bridge rehabilitation project in Hilo began May 11, 2026 at the bottom of the old bridge and is expected to be completed by Aug. 27, according to the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation. This work will be followed with rehabilitation of the bridge that opened in 1953.

Please join us to learn more:

August 29, 2026
New Time: 5-6:30 pm.
Hakalau Jodo Mission 
Refreshments provided
HAKALAU BRIDGE PRESENTATION
  • About the stages of preservation of the bridge including phase 1, the current lead remediation.
  • About the Department of Transportation’s approach to maintaining the historic character of the bridge, addressing complex technical challenges and lasting year
  • Hakalau – Bridges Across Time, the 30 minute documentary produced by  Nāʻālehu Anthony and Kapua Roback, commissioned by the State Department of Transportation will be shownon a BIG SCREEN. This documentary examines the history of the bridge and the surrounding plantation communities, establishing the context used by the engineering team at the Department of Transportation in approaching the preservation work.
  •  Both film production and Department of Transportation staff will be present.
Upcoming Events:​
  • 8/1/26 - The showing of Hakalau - Bridges Over Time will take place on August 29th from 5-6:30 pm (note: previously it was scheduled for 6-7:30 pm).
  • 7/15/26 - Updated schedules for Classes, Presentations, Workshops, Community Service, and the  Hakalau  Farmers Market.​​​
Today: ​​
Yesterday:
  • 7/12/26 - Expanded descriptions of each camp to include maps, aerial photos (as available), occupant names in the early 1960s. 
  • 7/4/26 - Added Hakalau Plantation - 1879-1899. Inside these historic events was Hakalau Plantation, with a history not well known. Some of its story is pieced together below using local newspaper articles, other publications, Hawaii Island Directories and voter registrations coming from the period when W.G Irwin & Co. was agent and Claus Spreckels was owner. It covers the managers, the luna (supervisors), the mills, the immigrant workforce, schooners and steamers, the landing and land travel as well as adjacent topics – Hawaiian landowners living in the area, and the earliest physicians based at Hakalau.​​
For the Hakalau Kuleana, our responsibility is to care for the land, the people, and the culture. We are guided by cultural values of YESTERDAY: Engage in collective effort. Look out for each other. Honor hard work. Show respect for those who came before us. Aloha and Mālama `Aina. In 2021, Akiko Masuda added two more values to the list: Consistently show up. Whatever has to be done, jump in and do it!