Starting tomorrow through Thursday, the historic Diamond Head State Monument will be closed to complete rock scaling of potential rockfall hazards above the Kahala entrance tunnel to the crater.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will then do a final sweep of the lookout trail, general clean-up and demobilization of the park.

On Friday, Diamond Head State Monument, including the summit hiking trail, will reopen at 6 a.m.

The Diamond Head hiking trail has been closed since Oct. 20 to conduct maintenance of the slopes and rock scaling of potential rockfall hazards along the trail and above the entrance tunnel. The contractor for this maintenance project is Prometheus Construction. The total construction contract is for $384,000.

The department has worked with the Diamond Head Citizens' Advisory Committee, and notified The Bus, and other community and user organizations, posted notices at the park entrance and distributed fliers to frequent park users at the park information booth.

The maintenance of these areas is the first phase of the state's planned upgrades to the historic summit trail at Diamond Head State Monument.

Subsequent phases will include the Diamond Head Trail Improvements Project, now currently in design, which will improve sections of the trail that have deteriorated due to usage, age and weathering. Improvements will address the narrow corridors and other trail sections that have deteriorated; and install safer stairways and wider walkways, install slope stabilization and rockfall mitigation measures, and construct a loop trail connecting the Summit Lookout and the rest-stop landing at the top of the pedestrian tunnel.

Future phases of the Trail Improvement Project will also decrease hiker congestion on the Summit Trail by expanding the existing trail for safer walkways, stairways, and lookouts.

Future phases of the rockfall mitigation and slope stabilization project will include work along Diamond Head Road and Poka Place.

For more information, please contact State Parks at 587-0300, or visit the State Parks Web site at www.hawaiistateparks.org.