On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters who are against the construction of a giant telescope on Mauna Kea prevented workers from reaching the site.

The planned $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TNT) was under fire by many native Hawaiians. The protesters marched to turn over the project as they consider the mountain sacred. In April, the construction halted for about two months after 31 protesters were arrested.

A dozen of protestors arrested Wednesday for obstructing were released after posting $250 bail. Bail was $1,000 for one person who had a previous arrest. The released protestors returned to the Hawaii Mountain in order to protect it from being destructed.

The workers turned their vehicles around when they encountered boulders in the road leading to the site. Protesters said a group of them plan to continue camping on the mountain just in case workers try to restart construction.

The road up the mountain remained closed for safety reasons Thursday by the University of Hawaii, which is responsible for Mauna Kea stewardship. University spokesman said that on Thursday, a ranger negotiated with protesters so observatory workers could get up the mountain to do maintenance. However, some protesters refused to leave.

A statement from the observatory read, "Just as all the current observatories respect the protestors' right to peacefully demonstrate on the mountain, we hope that they will respect our desire to continue the work that contributes to Hawaii being the home of the most scientifically productive telescopes on Earth".

Mike Bolte, a board member of the TNT International Observatory, said the company is assessing its plans to restart construction. However, the primary concern is about the safety of its team and everyone on the mountain.