After three people were killed in a collision with a column, a wrongful death suit takes aim at the city for not placing barriers to protect drivers.
The proposal, which rail leaders say comes from Honolulu City Council Chairman Ikaika Anderson, would place the city transportation department in charge of the remaining construction.
Despite the cost increases, the 20-mile, 21-station transit line is holding steady to HART’s latest, $8.14 billion construction budget, officials say.
Heidi Tsuneyoshi has recently brought fresh scrutiny to HART. Now, she’s urging the city to reverse plans to cover the rail agency’s legal costs.
Key personnel continue to leave the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation as rail construction nears its most critical crossroads.
The trip to San Francisco was made in hopes that the Federal Transit Administration will start releasing more money for the project.
UPDATED: The Federal Transit Administration has withheld $744 million from the project since 2015.
Rail officials had hoped to finally get their long-stalled recovery plan approved by this month. Now, they hope to get “provisional’ approval in late May or early June.
While shortening the line could save hundreds of millions of dollars, rail leaders argue the system would lose nearly half its projected ridership.