HART previews Kakaako rail construction, but some want more specific details

News admin July 16, 2026 0 Comments

HART previews Kakaako rail construction, but some want more specific details

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Traffic disruptions have been an unavoidable part of the city’s Skyline construction. And those disruptions are about to come to Halekauwila Street, at the tail end of the rail project’s third phase.

“I’m concerned about hours they’re working, just so I can prepare myself mentally, if the noise is going to be 24/7, seven days a week, or if it’s going to be less than that,” said Susan, a Kakaako resident who asked to be identified by her first name only.

The city doesn’t have answers to those questions yet. But at an open house in Kakaako attended by hundreds of people, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation showed renderings of the future Skyline guideway, with support columns straddling Halekauwila Street, preserving its two lanes and on-street parking.

Construction is set to begin sometime this fall.

“We don’t have a definite schedule, an exact date as to when that work is going to occur,” Vance Tsuda, HART project manager, told the gathering. “We do have an overall schedule to start some of that work.”

That presence will be felt in front of Paiko, a floral and plant boutique on Halekauwila — and right along the construction’s path.

“It’s pretty clear that a lot of businesses along the rail’s path have been decimated, unfortunately, and I feel for them. And I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. Because now it’s coming to us,” said Paiko’s owner, Courtney Monahan.

“We don’t have all of the specifics, like ‘We’re going to be in front of your driveway in two weeks, this is the type of work.’ We’re not into that type of detail yet,” said HART executive director and CEO Lori Kahikina.

Rail leaders are promising to go door-to-door to meet with residents and businesses along the route.

“We will be having individual meetings with each of the businesses,” said Kahikina. “We will be impacting you. How can we minimize it? How can we accommodate your needs?”

“I’m excited to have a station nearby. Eventually I’ll be able to use it,” said Kakaako resident Jeffrey Sousa. “Bu I also have to consider when is it going to be done?”

The civic center station, to be called Ka’akaukukui, will be built just east of the intersection of Halekauwila and South Streets. HART is calling it a temporary terminus, with possible plans to extend Skyline to Ala Moana Center and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Ka’akaukukui is set to be ready in 2031.

“The more that we can get notice — the timing, they say, is in about five years, but if we can see what the pathway is, I think we can all prepare for it,” said state Sen. Sharon Moriwaki, who lives in Kakaako.