The draft environmental impact statement for Honolulu's elevated commuter train still has a "target" release date of October, a project consultant said yesterday.

Parsons Brinckerhoff clarified the release date a day after an employee said on a radio show that the draft EIS would be released about the beginning of November. A November release date would mean residents may have little or no time to review the key document before a Nov. 4 vote on whether to build the $3.7 billion, steel-wheeled train system.

The draft EIS is expected to contain a host of new information about the train project, including updated capital and operating cost estimates, along with information on the location and number of potentially affected properties.

CONFLICTING REMARK

On Tuesday's city-sponsored "Honolulu on the Move" radio show on KHVH 830-AM, a Parsons Brinckerhoff manager said the document may be released to the public in early November. That prompted program host Mike Buck to ask whether residents will have time to digest the document before voting on a train referendum.

"Will the public be able to absorb some of this — of that statement by then?" Buck asked. "Will it be of value in their decision-making process?"

Radio show guest Art Borst, a Parsons Brinckerhoff facilities design manager, then backtracked.

"I'm not sure of the exact timing," he said. "We can get back to you, because that's a little bit of a dynamic date right now."

Yesterday, Mark Scheibe, deputy project manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff, said Borst misspoke.

"Art Borst is the facilities design manager on the project and not involved on a regular basis with the production of the environmental impact statement," Scheibe said in an e-mail to the Advertiser. "This might explain why he misspoke yesterday. The target release date for the (draft environmental impact statement) ... remains the same."

Earlier during the hourlong program, Borst said the point of the draft EIS is to apprise the public of potential areas of concern.

"That's the main purpose of it is to bring to light areas that are (of) concern and how the project is going to mitigate them," he said.

ALREADY DELAYED

Rail project critics have accused the city of purposely delaying the release of the draft EIS.

"We won't see it before the election because there are going to be unpleasant things there," said Cliff Slater, an outspoken critic of the project.

According to Scheibe, the release date of the draft EIS is driven by an ongoing federal review process.

"An administrative draft of the document was transmitted to the (Federal Transit Administration) ... and is under review," Scheibe's e-mail stated. "The usual practice is for FTA to complete its review and send us comments on the draft, which would be revised as appropriate. That revision goes back to FTA for another review and then the document goes to print."

The draft EIS, which will assess, among other things, noise and visual impacts, was initially was supposed to be completed this spring.

That date has since been pushed back to October. Despite the delay, the environmental review process is proceeding on a schedule that should allow construction to begin on the 20-mile transit project between East Kapolei and Ala Moana as planned in December of next year, according to the city.

Once the draft environmental impact statement is released, the city plans to provide at least 45 days for public comments. At least one public hearing will be held.

The city hopes to open the rail transit system in phases from 2012 to 2018.