Gov. Linda Lingle is becoming a formidable opponent to the city $5 billion rail transit program.

Yesterday during an informal news conference, Lingle said the plan costs too much; the city failed to examine alternatives; and elevated tracks would be ugly.

To back up her comments, Lingle will host a special Jan. 18 public meeting at the state Capitol auditorium to allow the Hawaii chapter of the American Institute of Architects to detail their objection to the plan strongly supported by Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

The architects' briefing in December increased Lingle's concerns.

“;I found it very compelling and it had a big impact on me. I gave a lot of credence to them because they had nothing to gain and a lot to lose because many of them get city contracts,”; Lingle said.

Lingle said she would invite Hannemann to the presentation, but a city spokesman said he thought Hannemann was already scheduled to be on the mainland.

Hannemann criticized Lingle's opposition, saying she was being “;political.”;

“;It's amazing that, in the absence of any state project that would create the thousands of jobs that the rail transit project will, that the governor of this state continues to throw up roadblocks, especially since she championed elevated rail during her first year in office,”; Hannemann said in a statement.

Lingle says the rail transit plan “;is not esthetically pleasing,”; but she fears the cost and the lack of a thorough examination of alternatives.

Since the 2008-09 recession, governments and private contractors have all scaled back their projects, Lingle said, noting that the state had to modify its harbor and airport plans, but the city is still going ahead with the transit plan “;that will burden generations with a project that the community may not be able to afford.”;

The governor also doubts that the city has done a good enough job exploring alternatives to the elevated rail system planned.

“;A key element of the environmental impact statement is the examination of alternatives. ... The architects raised the point that they don't believe the alternatives have been addressed,”; Lingle said.

When the city completes its EIS, it must be approved by both the federal government and Hawaii's governor. So far, Lingle has only said she has not seen a copy of the draft EIS, but her concerns yesterday raise a red flag that her fears may harden into a rejection.

“;She's sounding more and more political every day, rather than cooperating with the city on a project that the people of Honolulu voted for in the last election that will undoubtedly help the state out of its economic doldrums,”; Hannemann complained.