HONOLULU – The State of Hawaii received a significant certification from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today, clearing the way for continued federal funding for the Honolulu rail transit project.
FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams announced the certification of HART’s State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program at the American Public Transportation Association’s Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.
“Hawaii is one of the first early states to achieve SSO Program certification, to strengthen oversight of (its) rail transit passenger and worker safety,” Williams said.
The Hawaii State Department of Transportation is responsible for providing HART’s safety oversight. The SSO monitors safety programs across the Honolulu Rail Transit Project. The certification is mandatory before the FTA can provide Hawaii with federal funding through its SSO Formula Grant Program to develop or carry out its SSO programs. If Hawaii had failed to meet the 2019 deadline, the FTA would be prohibited by law from awarding any new Federal transit funds until the state achieved certification.
“This is important news for HART and the State of Hawaii, and we congratulate the Hawaii State Department of Transportation on their impressive achievement,” said Andrew Robbins, HART’s Executive Director and C.E.O. “We look forward to working closely with HDOT as work to complete the rail project continues.”