advertisement

---

On Wednesday, the city of Honolulu announced it awarded a design-build contract for the first phase of the Honolulu Rail Transit light-rail project to Kiewit Pacific Co. The company’s bid of $482.9 million came in $90 million below the city’s estimate.

Kiewit Pacific will design and construct an initial 6.5-mile segment between Kapolei and Pearl Highlands near Leeward Community College. The design-build contract includes construction of an elevated guideway, installation of tracks and restoration of road surfaces. Stations along the route will be bid and constructed under separate contracts.

On Nov. 18, the city plans to begin seeking bids for the project’s next phase: the design and construction of the Kamehameha Highway portion, which calls for building a 3.9-mile segment of guideway between Pearl Highlands and Aloha Stadium. The city will accept proposals two years earlier than expected to take advantage of “favorable market conditions,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann in a prepared statement.

Early next year, the city also plans to bid and award contracts for a train storage and maintenance facility in Waipahu, and train vehicle manufacturing and shipment of core systems.

The city expects to launch light-rail service on the first leg of the route in 2012 and open the entire 20-mile line between East Kapolei and Ala Moana in 2019.