Harris takes the first steps
toward a park-and-ride network
for Honolulu

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Mayor Jeremy Harris has taken the initial steps toward fulfilling his long-range plan to revamp Honolulu's transit system with public trolleys, ferries and buses.

The administration is seeking the first in a series of approvals for park-and-ride facilities in Iwilei, Kalihi and Sand Island.

City Transportation Services Director Cheryl Soon said the idea is to divert commuters who work in town from parking there.

The Sand Island project -- which involves transporting commuters by boat -- was given a Development Plan approval by the city Planning Commission on Wednesday.

Voting on the Iwilei and Kalihi projects, which are tied to TheBus and possibly a light-rail system, was put off until Monday afternoon.

All three plans will need the City Council's approval.

The Sand Island facility would have commuters park, then ride a boat to Aloha Tower and other docks in the downtown district.

Cost of the project was put at $2.9 million for a five-acre parcel, even though the city has yet to identify a site. The general area being discussed is next to a Coast Guard reservation area.

The state owns all of Sand Island and leases it out to various businesses.

Soon said it is too early to tell whether the city will be involved in either running a ferry or obtaining a vendor to do it.

She said the state also has been looking at Sand Island ferry proposals, and described her talks with the state Transportation Department as cordial.

If Harris' plan for a light-rail trolley running from Aloha Stadium to town comes to fruition, the Iwilei and Kalihi facilities would become key stops.

For the time being, transit officials are envisioning them as parking stations where motorists can park and then catch a bus to town.

"They were identified because they're strategically located near the freeway system," Soon said.

What the administration is identifying as a $9 million Iwilei Transit Terminal is on a 163,000-square-foot parcel that includes the former OR&L Transportation Building on the corner of North King Street and Iwilei Road.

The administration wants between 250 and 350 cars to be able to park at the state-owned site. The site would be turned into a larger, multilevel parking garage if the trolley system pans out.

The state Housing Finance and Development Corp. is opposed to the plan. Corporation official Sandy Pfund said the state is developing a master plan for the Iwilei area that includes the site being eyed by the city.

The state has not ruled out supporting the city proposal at a later date, she said.

City officials estimate it will cost $11.2 million to put up the Middle Street Transit Terminal on the corner of Middle Street and Kamehameha Highway near TheBus headquarters.

The city sees up to 600 parking spaces on the six-acre site owned by Yee Hop Realty.

That number presumably would be increased if light rail becomes a reality.