Representative Andria Tupola and Staff Speak to Federal Transit Administration

News Release from Office of Rep Andria Tupola, November 13, 2017 

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI –  Representative Andria Tupola (District 43 – Ewa Villages, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Nanakai Gardens, Ko Olina, Kahe Point, Nānākuli, Lualualei, and Māʻili) and members of her research staff spoke with officials from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to gain clarity on issues regarding the Honolulu Rail Project that were not addressed or answered during the Special Session on Rail.

“We had a great conversation with FTA Executive Director Welbes and his team,” Tupola said. “One of our key takeaways was that the FTA will have their review of HART’s recovery plan finished sometime in early 2018. Further, the FTA made it clear that the “stress test” was not necessarily a specific quantity of cash, rather it is the ability for the City and County of Honolulu to finance the rail project, such as issuance of bonds or line of credit, in the event that the TAT and GET revenues are insufficient. We look forward to keeping in contact with them and hearing their decision at the beginning of next year.”

The FTA also stated that they are watching to see what HART’s new strategy to build the City Center portion of the guideway will look like, and that this will be a determining factor in their final evaluation of the recovery plan.

“It is worth reiterating to the people of Hawaii that other alternatives can still be considered. However, this would mean that the FTA and the Trump administration would also reconsider the scope of their involvement in the rail project,” said Rep. Tupola.

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"Minority Leader to Speak with the Federal Transit Administration"

News Release from Office of Rep Andria Tupola, November 9, 2017

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI –  Representative Andria Tupola (District 43 – Ewa Villages, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Nanakai Gardens, Ko Olina, Kahe Point, Nānākuli, Lualualei, and Māʻili) will speak with officials from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Monday, November 13 to gain clarity on issues regarding the Honolulu Rail project that were not addressed or answered during the September Special Session.

The items to be discussed include but are not limited to:

• What is the FTA’s role in the HART Rail Project?

• What is the current state of communications among the FTA, the state of Hawaii, and the City & County of Honolulu?

• Within the Full Funding Grant Agreement, is there room to discuss changes of scope? Specifically, does the FFGA allow alternative routes other than the current design?

• What are the requirements of the so-called “stress test”? The Mayor emphasized the need for an extra $548 million to fulfill the stress test requirements.

• Other road funding: What are ways Hawaii can work with the federal government to repair and permanently open Kolekole Pass?

The Office of Representative Andria Tupola will release a statement after the phone conference. If you are interested in covering this story, please contact us.

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