Workers begin to dismantle Aloha Stadium | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Aloha was the operative word in Halawa on Tuesday.

Out with the old officially started at Aloha Stadium as destruction began for the 50,000-seat facility, which opened in 1975 and hosted its final sports event a little over five years ago.

In with the new begins in early 2029, when construction of the new stadium is expected to be completed.

The demolition work started Tuesday with a chunk from the top of the stadium being yanked off using heavy construction equipment.

It was also a big day overall for the New Aloha Stadium
Entertainment District public-­private partnership that will
develop the surrounding community with the new stadium as its centerpiece. A blessing for the project at the Stadium Authority’s new portable office spaces was preceded by significant
contract progress in the
private-public partnership, officials said.

“This morning, from
7:30 to 9:30, we completed our negotiations, in principle, for (NASED) master developer,” said developer Stanford Carr, leader of the private conglomerate of Aloha Halawa District Partners. AHDP will be responsible for the stadium, and 98 acres including the area surrounding the facility.

Plans call for developing a community, including at least 4,100 residences, two hotels, an office tower, and entertainment, retail, education and open spaces, according to the NASED website.

The master developer agreement leaves just one contract, unrelated to the stadium itself, to be completed. Two previously signed contracts are for razing the old stadium and constructing the new one.

Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. employees began the demolition Tuesday morning, using a high-reach excavator to remove the top level of one of the makai side spiral walkways. It is the first visible sign of work on the long-delayed project, which was abruptly halted in the early stages in late 2022 when then-Gov. David Ige said he wanted a more traditional stand-alone stadium built with the $350 million allotted by the state Legislature.

The $350 million went to AHDP for starter money for the stadium; the group will need to find or generate other funding for the rest of the NASED project, which is expected to make a greater than $2 billion economic
impact with a 20-year
development period, according to the NASED
website.

Demolition continues today, and will accelerate as more heavy equipment arrives on the site, stadium manager Michael Yadao said.

Officials expect demolition to be done by the end of the year. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2027, according to the current timeline.

The new stadium is now projected to seat up to 31,000 people, with no bleacher seating, Carr told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser last month. This is an increase from a low of 22,500 seats projected last August, and Carr now foresees 28 luxury suites instead of the 10 in previous plans.

Kahu Kordell Kekoa conducted Tuesday’s blessing. “Every day is a good day to start something new,” he said. “And every day is a good day to let something go.”

Several other speakers followed, including Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who after his University of Hawaii football playing days was an assistant coach when the team changed homes from Honolulu Stadium to the brand-new Aloha Stadium
in 1975.

“Then I had the privilege to be on the headset (as color commentator) with Jim Leahey for 13 years, when the games were mostly sold out,” he said. “You could feel it. The stadium was rocking.”

Blangiardi added that he admired the courage to undertake and execute such an ambitious plan, and promised his ongoing support.

Former Stadium Authority Chair Brennon Morioka, now Gov. Josh Green’s adviser on NASED issues, said success will depend on continued collaboration of all levels of government.

Yadao emceed the event, and introduced Al Oha, an AI-generated cartoon character his wife, Chelsey, came up with to tease him for his retro-style Aloha Stadium shirt. Now Al Oha will be used to educate keiki about the history of the first Aloha Stadium and the future of NASED, Yadao said.

“Aloha means hello, aloha means goodbye and aloha means love,” said state Sen. Glenn Wakai, who represents the surrounding communities and has championed NASED from the beginning 16 years ago, when the land was acquired by the state from the U.S. Navy. “It’s going to be a place for revitalization.”