The city's planned $5.3 billion elevated commuter rail project was victorious in the polls on Nov. 4 but still must go through a lengthy and potentially contentious environmental review.

The environmental study is a major hurdle in the city's effort to obtain more than $1 billion in federal money needed to build the 20-mile rail project.

Already, about 200 individuals or groups have raised concerns about the rail line as part of the environmental review. To accommodate those wanting to get involved, the city recently agreed to extend the public comment period by one month to Feb. 6.

The comments so far cover the gamut from aesthetics and concerns about noise to archaeological resource conservation, energy consumption and where to start construction of the train. Some are relatively minor issues, such as where to place construction signs, while others touch on fundamental questions, such as whether the city adequately considered rail alternatives.

The city must address all comments raised in its final environmental impact statement, which is due to be released this summer. The city expects to complete the environmental review process in time to begin construction in December 2009.

The extension of the public comment period and the concerns raised could jeopardize the city's timetable. However, city officials still hope to get all federal government approvals needed to begin construction on the project as scheduled. The city's timeline calls for service between West Loch and Waipahu to start in late 2013 and full service to Ala Moana would begin by the end of 2018.

"There's a wide spectrum of concern," said Wayne Yoshioka, director of the city Department of Transportation Services. "It depends on were you are in the (rail) corridor and how it applied to you.

"We don't see any problems at all in terms of responding to those comments," added Yoshioka. "Most of them are pretty straightforward."

So far, one off the biggest unresolved concerns is whether the East Kapolei to Ala Moana route should traverse Salt Lake as planned or be diverted to pass by the airport. Early next year, the City Council is expected to switch the route to pass by the Honolulu International Airport. There's also been a recent push to start construction on the train in town rather than in the 'Ewa plain. Comments received from the public are expected to help address those and other issues.

RIGHT-OF-WAY ISSUES

Under current plans, the project's first phase would connect East Kapolei to Leeward Community College. One of the main reasons for starting construction on the 'Ewa end is to avoid right-of-way acquisition issues during the project's early stages.

Initial service also is tied to the location of a maintenance and storage facility, which may be placed between Leeward Community College and Waipahu High School. Starting construction at that facility and proceeding in 'Ewa also takes advantage of the fact that construction along Farrington Highway and in West Oahu will not require significant utility relocations, according to the city.

However, City Council member Charles Djou is urging the city to reconsider starting construction in town.

"Most of the other cities, when they do a rail project, they start in town and build out, not out and in," he said. "It just strikes me as nonsense that the city government here is doing it backwards.

"What happens if an economic recession goes longer than we think in the next two decades and we run out of money and all we can build are eight or 10 or 12 miles of the 20-mile route? Won't it be better to have that eight or 10 or 12 miles in town?"

City officials contend that the budget for rail includes nearly $1 billion to cover contingencies, which should prevent such a scenario from happening.

The largest public works project in state history also is raising concerns about energy consumption and carbon emissions. Trains can be more energy efficient than autos. However, construction of an elevated guideway will require a massive amount of energy during construction.

"That's one set of concerns and the costs obviously," said Randy Ching, chairman of The Sierra Club O'ahu Group. "Other things we're concerned about are how are people going to access the transit station — is the train going to be pedestrian friendly, bicycle friendly and handicap accessible?"

POWER CONSUMPTION

According to the city, train stations will have elevators and escalators and will accommodate bicycles and wheelchairs.

Honolulu's planned commuter rail system will consume enough electricity each day to power about 9,250 homes, or a community the size of Hawai'i Kai. However, that shouldn't pose a risk of energy shortage and could lower air pollutants and energy use as people switch from automobiles to trains, according to the city.

Other concerns include the aesthetics of the train, which will run on a dual-rail guideway that's about 30 feet wide and between 40 to 80 feet tall, depending on the location. There also will be 19 to 21 elevated train stations, each 50 feet wide and as much as 300 feet long.

The size of the elevated track and stations has caused some neighborhood groups and architects to question whether it will damage the city's attractiveness and block views of the ocean or mountains.

Sidney Char, president of the American Institute of Architects' Honolulu division, said the group is urging the city to consider building at least portions of the train at ground level, where it won't obstruct mauka/makai views.

"This is not only about the engineering solution — about moving people from point A to point B — it's really about how it impacts our city and the feeling of our city," Char said.

Another concern is how the train may affect Native Hawaiian burials and other archaeological objects during construction. According to a preliminary study, there's a possibility that the transit project will affect burials and precontact archaeology as it traverses Nimitz Highway, Halekauwila Street and Kapi'olani Boulevard. An expansion spur to Waikiki also has high potential to disrupt historical sites.

Among the groups concerned about iwi is the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs. In September, OHA wrote the city expressing "great concern" about the city's ambitious timetable. The agency sought assurances that all environmental rules would be complied with. OHA also asked that construction cease if iwi or other archaeological objects are discovered so that appropriate agencies can be consulted.

Other groups are raising questions about whether the city's draft environmental study was done correctly. Anti-rail group www.Honolulutraffic.com and environmental group Life of the Land both have accused the city of failing to adequately consider alternatives to an elevated rail.

The city maintains that other alternatives, such as elevated highway lanes and a bigger bus system, were eliminated from consideration in early 2007.

However, proponents of new highway construction contend the city did not conduct a rigorous, good-faith analysis of managed lanes. A so-called HOT, or high-occupancy toll lane, would carry express buses and other high-occupancy vehicles. Single-occupant autos can use these lanes if they pay a toll and if the added traffic doesn't interfere with the free flow of high-occupancy traffic.

There are also complaints that the city overestimated the cost of building managed lanes and underestimated how much they would reduce traffic congestion.

"The way that the HOT lanes have been handled is just absolutely appalling," said Cliff Slater, chair of anti-rail Web site www.honolulutraffic.com. "They have a requirement to handle things objectively (and) scientifically.

"I really expect that they will have to do the managed lane alternative the right way," which could significantly delay any federal environmental approval, Slater said.