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A decades-long desire among many on Oahu to see the city's more than $10-billion Skyline extend to the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa underlies new Honolulu City Council legislation.
Bill 60, which the Council recently adopted on the first of three readings, would authorize the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to conduct planning and preliminary engineering for the rail line to possibly branch for another 3.2 miles beyond its current terminus in Kakaako, to a spot near UH's 2500 Campus Road address.
That planning work includes "any studies, evaluations, surveys and assessments, and the preparation of any required environmental impact statements and other reports, provided that any such extension adheres to the locally preferred alternative" -- rail's previously planned route that roughly ran between West Kapolei and UH, with an extension to Waikiki.
Council member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who co-sponsored Bill 60 with Council member Radiant Cordero, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the legislation is meant to plan for rail to other parts of the island.
He also noted the City Charter defines HART's responsibilities as planning for the "minimum operable segment approved by the City Council and any extensions to the minimum operable segment approved by the mayor and the City Council."
"Currently, the 'minimum operable segment' is from East Kapolei to Ala Moana," he said. "In effect, this means that HART cannot meaningfully engage in planning activities beyond Ala Moana."
"This has practical effects on how we go about extending the system in the future," he added. "For example, if a property comes up for sale in the next few years between Ala Moana and the University that might be needed for a future station, column landing, or electrical transformer box, HART couldn't even consider purchasing the property or reserving an easement."
"Or, if a landowner beyond the East Kapolei station wanted to even discuss opportunities beyond mere concepts for a future HART station to be integrated into their project, HART couldn't," he said. "If we lose opportunities like this, it will be much more difficult to go to UH Manoa or further into Kapolei in the future.
"The bottom line is that Bill 60 will enable HART to plan for extensions, but not construct extensions," he said.
Dos Santos-Tam explained that his office initially reached out to the rail agency over the necessity of the measure.
"HART confirmed the need and alerted us to the specific provision that'd have to be changed," he said. "HART alerted us that, as the existing ordinance is written, the rail extension to UH Manoa would not be possible because they are only authorized to do the necessary planning and preliminary work up to Ala Moana -- and not an inch further."
"Our goal was to open up the possibility of extending to UH if that opportunity becomes available," he added.
Bill 60, he noted, does not extend the life of HART beyond the agency's end date of 2031.
"This bill simply says that HART, as it currently exists now and until it no longer exists in the future, can undertake planning work beyond Ala Moana and beyond East Kapolei," he said.
However, Dos Santos-Tam said no new extensions will occur anytime soon.
"It's just that the planning and preliminary engineering will be allowable through this legislation," he said. "We also don't know how much an extension to the university would cost, precisely because HART currently isn't allowed to engage in detailed enough planning to make such a determination: that's what Bill 60 is intended to help solve."
HART Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina also told the Star-Advertiser that Bill 60 "was not requested or advocated by HART."
"HART was asked informally by Council member Dos Santos-Tam about the possibility of planning extensions to the rail system," she said.
But Kahikina admitted passage of Bill 60, as written, would allow HART to provide an extension that adheres to the locally preferred alternative. No costs, she noted, are known yet for this work.
"If Bill 60 is passed, and funding is available, HART would be able to proceed with the planning and preliminary engineering needed to determine estimated costs," she said.
The rail's current truncated scope of work ends at the planned Civic Center Station at Halekauwila and South streets. That project -- part of rail's Segment 3 -- is expected to be completed by 2030.
Under Mayor Rick Blangiardi's administration, the city in 2022 postponed the last 1.25 miles of guideway and the final two stations at Kakaako and Ala Moana to reduce the project's expenses to about $10 billion, an 18.9-mile rail line project and 19 stations from over $12.45 billion for a 20-mile route and 21 stations.
Meanwhile, rail's Segment 2 -- which runs from the old Aloha Stadium, past the airport, to Middle Street in Kalihi -- is scheduled to open to the public for revenue service on Oct. 16. An official opening ceremony to be overseen by the city Department of Transportation Services will occur the day before, on Oct. 15, HART said.
During the Council's Sept. 3 meeting, Bill 60, and its intent to plan for more rail extensions, received mixed reviews.
"It's been $12 billion, it's going to go to $22 billion," Waianae resident Shelby Pikachu Billionaire asserted. "Who the heck builds a rail system going to UH? It doesn't even go to Waikiki, it doesn't go to Ala Moana."
But Andrew Pereira, with Pacific Resource Partnership which represents unionized labor statewide, supported Bill 60.
"As the Council is fully aware the half-percent surcharge (on the general excise tax) that funds the construction of rail is scheduled to sunset Dec. 31, 2030," he said. "My great fear is that as we approach that sunset date, if you don't give HART the purpose to continue planning and doing preliminary engineering for future spurs of rail, that we could see a massive brain drain from the agency as we approach that sunset date."
He added that "passing a common sense measure such as Bill 60 will allow the future planning to take place, and as we approach that sunset date another great fear is that we could see the dissolution of HART."
"And to reconstitute HART after that date would be a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars, and so PRP urges the Council in its wisdom to move this measure forward," Pereira said.
The Council later voted unanimously to pass Bill 60 on its first reading.
"Bill 60 has been referred to the Infrastructure, Transportation &Technology Committee, of which I am chair," Cordero said in a statement after the meeting. "In committee, I look forward to detailed discussion and input to ensure our transit decisions align with our community's needs."