The 'Stairway to Heaven' , the most famous in Hawaii, could have its days numbered. Last September, the Honolulu City Council approved with an absolute majority that the Haiku stairs should be demolished. Its 3,922 steps have become a problem for the government and a municipal expense (in 2002 its repair cost about 875 thousand dollars) that he does not want to assume.
The objective, as indicated in the resolution, is “ remove haiku stairs and its accessory structures to stop trespassing, reduce disturbances in local neighborhoods, increase public safety, eliminate potential city liability, and protect the environment.” All of this will cost the City Council more than $1 million.
“We recognize the interest that the stairs have for certain community groups; however, issues such as home invasion, personal injury, invasive species and the general safety of the visiting public cannot be ignored,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi in a statement on September 14.
The 'Stairs to Heaven'.
A STORY THAT HAS BEEN REPEATING ITSELF SINCE 1987
The “no trespassing” signs since 1987 and the danger of the stairs due to their lack of maintenance have not deterred visitors, as their fame predates Instagram. Of course, in 2016 an illegal swing was placed that further increased visits and pressure on the place. An estimated 4,000 people pass through here each year, despite the $1,000 fines.
Its origins date back to the attack on Pearl Harbor. , during world war II. It was then that the US Navy decided to create a radio station in the Cordillera de Ha'ikū to transmit signals to Pacific ships. The stairs were used for its installation, and they were showing the engineering work that they had assumed.
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The 3,922 wooden steps The ones that had served initially were exchanged for metal ones in 1950, and in the 1970s, public access was allowed. But in 1987 it was banned after it appeared on a TV show and hordes of tourists arrived.
The landscape that surrounds them and the adrenaline that is generated when crossing them is too tempting for a group to defend their permanence not to have emerged. Through a campaign of donations and signatures, the Friends of Haiku Stairs has proposed turning over control of the stairway to a private provider, who would pay for security and maintenance through fees collected from hikers. Eighty people could climb the stairs per day under a group managed access plan, with an annual limit of 20,000 visitors . “We know that hikers will pay to go there,” said their manager, Dr. Ansdell.
The social debate is served, we will have to wait if we really have to enjoy the stairs through the photographs and history books.
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