It was big news when Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced a decision on what will be the first phase of a massive rail transit line linking West O'ahu with downtown Honolulu.

In short order, more big news was made when the state said it is thinking of building a toll road highway (using a private operator) from West O'ahu into town.

Now, what's wrong with this picture?

It's great that our state and city officials are thinking about ways to make the trek a little easier for congestion- plagued residents of West O'ahu. But why do these projects have to run on parallel tracks, as if the state and the city and county were in different geographical universes?

Planners will tell you there is surely a need for both projects; a faster way to get cars into town and an alternative rail system. And indeed that may be the case.

But there should be a way to ensure that these two massive projects serve each other rather than operate almost in competition.

The reason there is less coordination than one might expect is due in part to political and bureaucratic culture issues. Virtually every governor and every mayor comes into office saying there is no need for two government entities planning for and managing surface transportation on O'ahu. After all, do taxpaying citizens really care whether it is the state or the city that is in charge of, say Ala Moana, the Pali Highway or Farrington Highway? Hardly.

So this "them and us" culture filtered down to the good folks who actually do the work in the two departments.

Now, there is an organization that is supposed to take the politics out of the picture. It is a state-city organization called the O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization. It is a group required by the federal government to review, coordinate and approve transportation projects for the island to get federal funding.

As a practical matter, what generally happens is that most city and state transportation projects end up on OMPO's list as separate distinct entities. For instance, the city's rail project is up there on the O'ahu Regional Transportation Plan through 2030, but the toll road idea is not. It might make the next revision of the plan, which is now under way if a decision is made to use federal funds for any part of it.

It might be nice if we could somehow take the politics out of transportation planning altogether, but that is probably too much to wish for. For instance, the toll road idea is going to run into a buzzsaw of political opposition from lawmakers who represent the Leeward side. Why, they will ask, should their constituents have to pay for a good highway when other areas of the island get theirs for "free." Watch for more political intrigue when the rail system gets locked in and development opportunities open in and around transit stops.

Transit planning may be ultimately the province of the engineers, but don't let the politicians hear that.

Reach Jerry Burris at jburris@honoluluadvertiser.com. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.