Coconut Island bridge collapse cuts off access to Hilo refuge
A county excavator collapsed Coconut Island’s footbridge, cutting off a Hilo gathering place tied to healing traditions, family picnics and piko burials.
Mokuola, better known as Coconut Island, is closed to the public after a Hawaii County Parks and Recreation mini excavator collapsed part of its pedestrian bridge at about 7:40 a.m. on Nov. 14, 2025. One Parks and Recreation employee was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for assessment, and the island has remained inaccessible ever since.
Mokuola has long been a place of traditional practice, from the belief that people could swim around the island three times to seek healing to the custom of burying a newborn’s piko there as a sign of life, health and connection to lineage. It also served as a casual gathering spot for swimming, picnics, fishing and family time in Hilo Bay.
A temporary fix will remove the collapsed section and install a modular span, a job that could take up to two years. Mayor Kimo Alameda has pushed for an 18-month timeline if possible. Permanent reconstruction is tentatively set to begin in 2029, with a preliminary cost estimate of $20 million. The temporary span is expected to cost about $1.5 million to $2 million, and the county plans to seek federal funding and use one environmental assessment for both phases. Cultural access requests may be reviewed case by case during the closure.
Isaac Keliipio began serving as caretaker in 1909, Mary Keliipio took over after his death in 1930 and served until 1947, and Paul Keliipio remained the last resident caretaker until the 1960 tsunami displaced the family. Lilinoe Keliipio-Young, a former resident, said the closure is painful because her family helped care for the island for years and she remembers a time before the first footbridge was built in 1951, when her father ferried people across in rowboats.
The family lived in a one-bedroom house on the island before the 1960 tsunami, and Lilinoe Keliipio-Young’s father charged families 5 cents for the ride across Hilo Bay. A later bridge was built in 1957 after an earlier pontoon bridge failed. The footbridge opened to pedestrian traffic in 1969, and similar equipment had crossed it before; the deck was reinforced in the early 2000s. The most recent bridge inspection was in 2022.
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