Wayne Yoshioka, an engineer with a company that was awarded an $86 million contract to do a mass-transit study for the city, has been named to head the city's Department of Transportation Services.

Yoshioka's appointment is effective Dec. 1, subject to Honolulu City Council approval. If confirmed, Yoshioka will replace Melvin Kaku, who will take over as director of the city Department of Emergency Management on Dec. 1.

Yoshioka, 53, is manager of transportation planning and traffic engineering and a senior supervising transportation engineer for PB Americas Inc., a consulting firm formerly known as Parsons Brinckerhoff. In August, the city awarded PB Americas an $86 million contract to do the preliminary engineering and environmental impact study for the proposed $5 billion fixed-guideway mass-transit project.

The 34-mile proposed mass-transit system would run from Kapolei to Manoa and Waikiki. Mayor Mufi Hannemann prefers a rail-transit system, but a specific vehicle technology has not yet been formally chosen.

Councilmember Charles Djou, an opponent of the project, said he does not know Yoshioka and will wait to hear what he has to say during confirmation hearings before deciding whether to vote for him.

But Djou said the appointment "raises many questions" because of Yoshioka's connection with PB Americas, which he said "is receiving tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money."

"Now an employee of this company ... is supposed to be supervising how that very taxpayer money is supposed to be expended and make sure that it's done properly. It obviously begs the question as to whether or not he can be independent from his former employer."

Yoshioka yesterday said he looks forward to serving in Hannemann's Cabinet and he welcomes the scrutiny that he likely will face. Yoshioka said he and Hannemann were classmates at 'Iolani School and graduated in 1972.

Yoshioka said he has worked on the city transit project as a PB Americas executive, but said he will be able to separate himself from the company when it comes to making decisions as Transportation Services director. He said there are "many safeguards" in place to ensure that everything is done fairly.

Hannemann said he does not believe Yoshioka's employment with PB Americas should be an issue.

"He's the best man for the job," Hannemann said. "I wanted him when I first took office, but the time wasn't right then."

He said he had not interviewed any other applicants but had been ready to do so if Yoshioka declined the offer.

"It helps that as a first-class professional, I have a long relationship with him," Hannemann said. "I knew him long before he was an engineer."

Council transportation chairman Nestor Garcia said Yoshioka's relationship with PB Americas would likely be scrutinized but shouldn't automatically be considered a conflict.

"I'm sure these kinds of issues have been vetted and addressed," he said. "I think he'll have to divorce himself from his past ties."

Yoshioka said the transit project is the biggest challenge he faces as director. Other areas he said he will be working on are improving the city bus system, improving pedestrian safety, taking care of the bicycle population and overseeing the start of a consolidated traffic operations center.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.