LOS ANGELES -- Work resumed on Honolulu’s $5.3 billion elevated rail project Sept. 16 after the City Council passed resolutions granting the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation two permits required to resume rail construction, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
The project had been halted for nearly a year after two adverse court rulings.
"The Council's actions will allow us to get back to work and to keep the project on time and on budget, and that's good news for taxpayers," HART Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Grabauskas said in a prepared statement.
The City Council’s approvals came after the state’s Historic Preservation Division approved the archaeological survey reports on Aug. 29 for the Honolulu rail transit project, and cleared the way for permit applications.
The State Historic Preservation Division’s Aug. 29 approval of archaeological reports tied to the HART project put into motion the steps for restarting the project. The Hawaii Supreme Court had ruled on Aug. 27, 2012 that the reports must be approved before the project could proceed.
The Council also approved the master agreement between the State Department of Transportation and the city for the use of DOT right-of-way from Pearl City to Ala Moana Center for construction related to the rail project.
With the permit approvals and agreements in place, HART resumed construction in the West Oahu section of the route on Monday. Construction work will take place along the first 10 miles of the rail route from Kapolei to Aloha Stadium and will include pouring concrete for columns, relocating utilities and soil testing, according to HART officials.
Grabauskas has said that the work stoppage was costing $200,000 a day, according to news reports.
A lawsuit filed by rail opponent Cliff Slater is still pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
