Posted on: Friday, November 5, 2004

City delays start of Bus Rapid Transit

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The city is postponing the start of its new Bus Rapid Transit line until Nov. 15 to allow completion of a Kuhio Avenue repaving project.

The new service, running from Iwilei to Waikiki, was originally set to begin Monday.

"It just made more sense to go ahead with the Kuhio Avenue repaving before the buses started using it," said city spokeswoman Carol Costa.

The delay also will give the city more time to fix some concrete sections of the roadway damaged in a beautification project, Costa said.

Kuhio Avenue will be the main Waikiki return thoroughfare for the new line, which will feature hybrid gas-electric buses running at frequent intervals. The city has spent several hundred thousand dollars building new bus stops and making other improvements along Kuhio Avenue in anticipation of the new service.

"Originally, we decided to go forward with the bus startup and do the repaving later, but we've reversed that," Costa said. "We wanted to get all the work done first."

In a related development this week, a federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the start of the bus service.

The Alliance for Traffic Improvement had argued that the service would violate federal environmental laws and add extensively to traffic congestion on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki.

U.S. District Judge Susan Mollway ruled that the group failed to demonstrate that start of service would cause irreparable harm.

She did order the city to notify the group immediately whenever it applies for federal funding in connection with the BRT system and when it takes any other official BRT actions.

City officials had originally hoped to widen the BRT system, using dedicated traffic lanes for buses throughout urban Honolulu and later Leeward O'ahu. Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann has said he opposes any expansion of the system.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.