Public Invited to Comment on Rail Draft Supplemental Eis/ Section 4(f) Evaluation
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) and U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are accepting public comments on a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Section 4(f) Evaluation for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project.
HART and FTA officials have prepared a Draft Supplemental EIS/Section 4(f) Evaluation for the Rail Project as required by a recent U.S. District Court ruling. The Draft Supplemental EIS/Section 4(f) Evaluation covers the re-evaluations of the Beretania Street Tunnel Alternative and Mother Waldron Neighborhood Park.
A public hearing on the Draft Supplemental EIS/Section 4(f) Evaluation will be held on Tuesday, July 9, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Neal Blaisdell Center’s Hawaii Suite, 777 Ward Avenue. Comments will be accepted both orally and in writing at the hearing.
Written comments may also be submitted to Mr. Ted Matley, FTA Region IX, 201 Mission Street, Suite 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105, and Mr. Daniel A. Grabauskas, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, City and County of Honolulu, 1099 Alakea Street, Suite 1700, Honolulu, HI 96813 or online at www.honolulutransit.org. Comments must be received by Monday, July 22, 2013, or postmarked by that date.
The document can be viewed at the following locations:
- All State public libraries
- The City Municipal Reference Library, 558 South King Street, City Hall Annex
- Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation office at 1099 Alakea Street, Suite 1700
The public can also view the document and submit comments online via the project’s website at www.honolulutransit.org. The report can also be requested in CD format by contacting the project hotline at (808) 566-2299.
Notification of the public hearing and comment period is also being provided via social media, and public notices in newspapers and ethnic media publications.
Additionally, information on the hearing and comment period can be obtained at Honolulu Hale and at all Satellite City Hall offices. The information is also being made available in multiple languages and in Braille.
The Honolulu Rail Transit Project is a 20-mile elevated rail line that will connect West Oahu with downtown Honolulu and Ala Moana Center. The rail system includes 21 stations at key education, employment and retail destinations, including UH-West Oahu, Leeward and Honolulu community colleges, Honolulu International Airport, Downtown Honolulu, Pearl Harbor and Ala Moana and Pearlridge shopping centers.
The first 10 miles of the rail system from Kapolei to Aloha Stadium is expected to open in 2017, with the full 20-mile line opening in 2019.
For more information on the planned rail system, visit the project website at www.honolulutransit.org.