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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Work Stops on Giant Oahu Rail Project

HONOLULU (CN) - Construction stopped Monday on the biggest mass transit rail project in state history, after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the $5 billion project was inadequately planned.

The 20-mile-long Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project would serve the 1 million residents and tourists who flock to the 44-by-30-mile Oahu.

Opponents of the giant project challenged it in three lawsuits.

On Friday, the Hawaii Supreme Court ordered the city and state defendants to complete an historic preservation survey for the project.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit, or HART, has been hesitant to comment on the ruling, but has stopped new construction until the archeological survey is completed.

An attorney for the rail opponents, David Kimo Frankel, told Courthouse News in an interview that now he need not file an injunction to stop construction, and did not know any more than what HART has said to local media and officials.

Honolulu's Transportation Services Director Wayne Yoshioka did not respond to a request for comment.

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