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Last week, the city and county of Honolulu won a lawsuit that sought to halt the Honolulu Rail Transit project.

A circuit court ruled that the city and state of Hawaii complied with state laws governing the protection of native Hawaiian burial grounds. The court also denied a separate motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the project until the conclusion of litigation concerning whether an archaeological inventory survey needs to be completed prior to beginning the project’s first phase.

The Federal Transit Administration, city, state and other groups have entered into an agreement that governs how historic properties, including burial sites, will be treated, according to Honolulu officials. Under the agreement, an archaeological inventory survey already has been completed for the first phase and another will be completed prior to final design and construction work for the three remaining phases, city officials said in a prepared statement. 

“We’re pleased with the decision, and we will continue to keep rail transit moving in the right direction,” said Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle.

The $5.5 billion Honolulu Rail Transit project calls for building a 20-mile, 21-station elevated-rail system connecting East Kapolei with Ala Moana Center. The first leg is scheduled to open in 2015 and entire route is slated for completion in 2019.