City Councilmember Nestor Garcia shakes hands with Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann as City Councilmember Rod Tam looks on at Kapolei Hale in Kapolei on Saturday afternoon. Mayor Hannemann signed Bill 79, which launches the transit project. Rebecca Breyer | The Honolulu Advertiser

"This is a great day," said Hannemann, who signed the bill with a Mont Blanc fountain pen. "It's also to be noted that here at Kapolei Hale we will put into motion something that has eluded the people of Honolulu and our lawmakers for 40 years."

Hannemann signed more than a dozen souvenir copies of the bill for people at the gathering who supported his drive for mass transit, including members of the City Council, members of the Legislature, and members of several local neighborhood boards.