The closure of Mauna Kea Access Road was expected to continue through the weekend following the planned removal of two ahu Friday.
The closure of Mauna Kea Access Road was expected to continue through the weekend following the planned removal of two ahu Friday.
The stone altars, which were partially blocking the summit road, were built Wednesday by Thirty Meter Telescope opponents during their most recent showdown with police and construction crews.
Dan Meisenzahl, a spokesman for the University of Hawaii, said the protesters agreed to remove the ahu. UH is responsible for the road above Hale Pohaku.
Protest leaders couldn’t immediately be reached for comment, and removal of the ahu couldn’t be confirmed as of press time.
The day before, protesters, who say they are protecting a sacred mountain, removed a few low-lying walls and hundreds of large rocks they placed in the road to stop the vehicles associated with the $1.4 billion TMT project. Workers were attempting to reach the construction site at the summit to install fencing.
The agreement to remove the final obstacles came shortly after Gov. David Ige issued a statement in which he said the use of rocks to block the road amounted to an act of vandalism.
“That is not lawful or acceptable to the people of Hawaii,” he said. “So, let me bey very direct: The roads belong to all of the people of Hawaii and they will remain open.”
Ige also said the state will continue to find ways to allow construction of the observatory to resume.
“We value TMT and the contributions of science and technology to our society, and we continue our support of the project’s right to proceed,” he said.
UH and observatory staff have been allowed to drive up the mountain during the road closure.
Thirteen telescopes, which require regular maintenance, are located at or near the summit.
Andy Adamson, Gemini observatory’s acting director, said his team lost one night of observing time and two days of maintenance as a result of the road blockages.
“At the moment, we haven’t been badly affected,” he said.
Adamson said the observatory has had a cordial relationship with the protesters, but he has concerns about the road being blocked again.
“The last thing you want to encounter is a wall on your way down” during an emergency, he said.
Some employees have asked not to be sent to the summit while the protests continue, Adamson said.
Meisenzahl said UH will need time to make assessments and grade the road.
“The road definitely needs a lot more work than it normally does,” he said.
A decision on reopening the road and Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station likely will come early next week, Meisenzahl said. Trails up the mountain remain open.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.