State sends two to light-rail sessions
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
Following a state task force announcement last month of plans to build a light-rail transit system on O'ahu, transportation officials Scott Ishikawa and Glenn Yasui attended the Light Rail Transit Conference in Portland, Ore., to meet the experts in the field.
"You cannot operate in a vacuum, so we decided to go where all the experts are, since they were going to be in one city at one time," said Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
Ishikawa called the trip a "fact-finding commando mission" to get up to speed on light-rail quickly.
"We got wind of the conference shortly after Gov. Linda Lingle's task force announced they were looking at light rail," Ishikawa said. "We decided it was a good idea to catch everybody in one city rather than making separate trips."
Gov. Lingle and the task force, made up of elected and appointed state, city and federal officials, announced plans Oct. 27 to build the light-rail transit system, which they said would require a tax increase. The rail line would run 22 miles from Kapolei to Iwilei, where riders would board buses moving throughout urban Honolulu.
Ishikawa said several cities across the country are in the same situation as Honolulu when it comes to transportation problems and the need for a light-rail system.
Seattle broke ground for its system two weeks ago, and Houston will start construction in January.
"Many (cities) are either ready to start a rail system or looking really hard at one," he said. "Portland had the foresight to look to an alternative form of transportation long ago and the rest of us are trying to play catch-up at this point."
Portland opened it ground-level rail system in 1986. City planners were going to expand the freeway system, but residents rose up in opposition because it would have destroyed several neighborhoods, Ishikawa said.
The city started with a 15-mile line to the suburb of Gresham and has since added legs to the airport, to the suburb of Hillsboro. Another leg to North Portland will open in May.
Portland officials advised Hawai'i planners to make sure the rail system works in conjunction with the bus system to move people efficiently and to make sure it is not simply used by commuters, but also includes other destinations like sporting event or tourist sites.
"To make this a success, it cannot be just a commuter route to town and back," Ishikawa said. "Our route goes past Aloha Stadium and could encourage people to attend events there. The biggest complaint we have of people not going to University of Hawai'i football games is the traffic."
Fixed-rail will likely not become a reality until about 2018, he said, following four years to complete an environmental impact statement, then another decade to build it. The final decision about money will be up to the city, but state highways probably will be used for the elevated system, he said.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
