Employees of contractors on Honolulu's $3.7 billion transit system and their families contributed $52,150 to Mayor Mufi Hannemann's re-election campaign during the first six months of this year.

That's about 8 percent of total contributions during the period.

Between November 2004, when Hannemann was elected, and December 2007, he has raised $215,000 from contractors involved in the planning of the project, their employees and families, according to an Advertiser search of Hawai'i Campaign Spending Commission records.

That donation figure includes companies already receiving money from the city but does not include contributions from land owners and developers, labor unions and other future beneficiaries of the transit project.

The city plans to build a 20-mile elevated train connecting East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center. The rail system is to open in phases from 2012 to 2018.

During the first six months of this year, employees of Parsons Brinckerhoff contributed $6,500 to Hannemann's campaign.

Employees of Honolulu consulting firm Lyon Associates Inc. contributed $5,000 to Hannemann's re-election effort.

Employees from Honolulu civil engineering consulting firm R.M. Towill Corp. contributed $4,000 to Hannemann's campaign. R.M. Towill has a transit deal currently valued at $4.9 million, according to the city. R.M. Towill is a subcontractor to New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff, which has an $86 million, 2 1/2-year transit contract with the city signed on Aug. 24, 2007.

Transit contractor companies contributed $91,207 to Hannemann's previous mayoral campaign, which equated to 4.8 percent of the $1.92 million in total contributions raised from 2000 to 2004.