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POSTED: Monday, November 03, 2008

The city's planned multibillion-dollar rail transit system could displace dozens of Oahu businesses and homes, including a few of the island's historic plantation homes along Dillingham Boulevard, according to a draft environmental report released in full yesterday.

               

     

 

 

GET INVOLVED         Download a copy of the full Draft Environmental Impact Statement at honolulutransit.org         A 45-day public comment period will begin later this month after the city prints and distributes copies to state agencies. The city Department of Transportation Services will take written and oral comments at community meetings that will be determined later.

The long-awaited report, a so-called Draft Environmental Impact Statement totaling more than 500 pages, also details cost estimates that put the system's construction cost closer to $5 billion, a figure that includes inflation, interest and, local officials hope, federal funding.

The report, conducted by the city team overseeing the project and several consulting firms, confirmed many benefits that rail proponents have boasted of in recent weeks—including reduced traffic congestion, an estimated 11,000 new jobs and minimal additional noise and air pollution.

The reduced congestion estimated for the year 2030 ranges from about 21 to 23 percent, which Mayor Mufi Hannemann compared to traffic when school is not in session.

However, the report noted that the elevated rail system will alter the island's landscape, blocking views of the ocean and the mountains, as well as displacing several culturally significant homes.

“;The DEIS contains no surprises and supports our position that this project is good for Oahu,”; Hannemann said in a news release. “;In terms of those property owners whose properties may be impacted by the project, we have made every effort to deal with them appropriately and with sensitivity, communicating with them prior to the issuance of the document.”;

The report noted that up to 173 properties, including 20 residences and more than 60 businesses, could be affected, depending on the route the city ultimately chooses.

The report examined three possible routes, each about 20 miles long, from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center. The likely route at the moment goes through Salt Lake. However, Hannemann has pushed for a route going by the airport.

The report also a combined Salt Lake/airport route, which would be the most expensive to build at about $6.4 billion.

One of the properties that could be displaced is the Banana Patch, an area near the Leeward Community College in Pearl City where several generations of families have lived. The city plans on building a park-and-ride structure there, connecting to Pearl Highlands Center, for a transit stop with the second-highest expected number of riders of the system.

The report described the effect as “;adverse”; to the community and families living there and said the city plans on holding a community meeting to discuss several options.

Several homes along Dillingham Boulevard may also be acquired because the city needs to widen the road by 10 feet to accommodate the system. That includes the Boulevard Saimin Restaurant, which will lose its parking lot, and what the report calls the Afuso, Higa and Texeira houses, old-style plantation homes.

The report did not detail the costs of possible acquisitions or condemnation.

Hannemann scrambled to release the report over the weekend in time for tomorrow's general election, which includes a ballot question on rail, amid pressure and claims that he was withholding information from voters.

His detractors include his opponent for mayor, City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi.

“;Allegations have been made that the city somehow delayed the release of the DEIS,”; Hannemann said. “;Those allegations are absolutely false. This is simply an attempt by some to obscure the findings of the release with political rhetoric as illustrated by the positive conclusions confirmed in the DEIS.”;

               

     

 

 

TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS*         Salt Lake Route $5.2B         Airport Route $5.4B         Combined Route $6.4B         *Amount estimated after the system is built. City officials have used other construction cost figures as low as $3.9 billion for the Salt Lake route. However, that is in current dollars and does not include inflation or interest the city will have to pay.                 OPERATION, MAINTENANCE ANNUAL COSTS**         Salt Lake Route $109M         Airport Route $119M         Combined Route $172M         **Amount the city is estimated to spend on the rail system, not including TheBus and HandiVan costs. City officials have said the operation and maintenance costs are about $60 million, but those figures also do not include inflation.

The report's release came after the Federal Transit Administration approved it last week. While the report's findings come before the general election, thousands of voters have already cast ballots early without the benefit of the new information.

Critics of the rail system were quick to respond to the report, saying it provides little information on other mass transit options.

“;The new Draft EIS, only partially released at the last minute, presents a completely biased view of Managed Lanes, which is the main alternative to rail,”; said Dennis Callan, co-chairman of the vocal anti-rail group Stop Rail Now and an advocate of toll roads. “;The city is using distorted, dishonest numbers designed to support their rail scheme.”;

There are seven areas along the rail alignment that have a moderate to high risk of affecting Hawaiian burial sites.

The focus of the report remained on the rail routes, but it did note that managed lanes with an enhanced bus system would have resulted in fewer displacements and would have affected fewer cultural and historical sites.

On the downside, the managed lanes would have provided “;very little transit benefit at a high cost,”; would have created the greatest amount of air pollution and would not have qualified for the FTA New Starts program.

               

     

 

 

NOTABLE PROPERTIES POSSIBLY AFFECTED BY THE RAIL TRANSIT PROJECT         Pearl City » Banana Patch, a multigenerational community with 10 homes and Alpha Omega Christian Fellowship Church, to be fully acquired. » Solmirin House, a one-story plantation-style house built in 1937, to be fully acquired.           Along Dillingham Boulevard » Boulevard Saimin Restaurant, a two-story building from the 1960s, to be partially acquired by losing its parking lot. » Afuso House, a one-story plantation-style home built in the 1960s, with the home to be acquired. » Higa Fourplex, a historic, two-story plantation-style home on Dillingham Boulevard developed in the 1940s before World War II, to be fully acquired. » Texeira House, a one-story plantation-style home built in the 1940s, to be fully acquired.           Schools » Radford High School, a small area of the parking lot to be acquired. » Waipahu High School, some of its buildings might be displaced. » Honolulu Community College, with a small area of land to be acquired. » Aliamanu Elementary and Middle School, with a small area of land to be acquired.           Miscellaneous » Kanpai Bar and Grill, 404 Ward Ave., to be fully acquired because of an unidentified hazardous material on its site.