Hawaii board OKs archaeological studies for Honolulu transit-rail project

Hawaii's State Historic Preservation Division has approved archaeological survey reports for the Honolulu Rail Transit project, marking a major step in getting the project's construction back on track, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) officials announced last week.

With the division's approval, HART now will work with the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting to submit permit applications to the City Council for its approval, said HART Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Grabauskas.

"Getting back to work after the year-long delay is essential to completing the project on time and on budget — that's our goal," he said.

The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled last year that the archaeological survey work for the entire rail route should have been completed before construction began in East Kapolei. HART completed the studies for the half of the alignment between East Kapolei and Aloha Stadium and was in the process of completing studies for the remainder of the route at the time of the court's decision.

HART temporarily halted construction to comply with the court's decision, and worked on completing the remaining archaeological studies.

The 20-mile elevated rail line will connect Oahu with downtown Honolulu and Ala Moana Center.