HART Infighting a Sign Rail Contract may be in Trouble?
Shapiro April 28, 2024: … Kahikina isn’t the only culprit if numbers for the urban contract go sour.
Tensions between her and Hanabusa began in 2021, when she issued what she felt was an honest estimate of $12.5 billion to finish to Ala Moana Center as planned, $3.5 billion more than HART’s $9 billion funding at the time.
Hanabusa dubiously cut the estimate to $11.4 billion based on a shadowy audit. Blangiardi erased the rest of the deficit by giving HART much of the city’s hotel tax and working with Kahikina to end the line at South Street, two stations short of Ala Moana.
Natalie Iwasa, a nonvoting legislative board appointee, said it best: “Here we are with a HART board battering our CEO and creating this corrosive atmosphere. It is not good for HART, it is not good for the bidders.”…
read … David Shapiro: Discord drives the beat at the heart of HART
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Receives $125 Million in Federal Funding
News Release from HART, April 25, 2024
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) announced that on Wednesday, April 24, it received the $125 million in federal funding for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project (the Project) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that resulted from the successful completion of the amended Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) that was executed on February 1, 2024. This is the first federal funding under the FFGA that HART has received since 2017.
“Thanks to the collaboration of the Federal Transit Administration, the HART Board, Mayor Rick Blangiardi, the Hawaii Congressional Delegation, and the Honolulu City Council, HART was able to successfully execute an amendment to the FFGA, which allows this important public works project to continue moving forward,” said HART Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina. “These funds are necessary for us to complete the project and will help us achieve our construction milestones as we work through the critical path of the project.”
The original FFGA, signed in 2012, provided a grant of $1.55 billion for the Project. Prior to yesterday, HART had received approximately $806 million of this amount. The amended FFGA reaffirmed the FTA’s commitment to the remaining $744 million and prescribed milestones for when the federal funding will be available to the Project. The recent execution of the amended FFGA was the first milestone and triggered this release of the $125 million of funding to HART. When HART awards the City Center Guideway and Stations contract, expected later this year, an additional $250 million will be made available for the project.
SA: HART receives $125M in federal funding
* * * * *
The City and County of Honolulu and the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Sign Amended Full Funding Grant Agreement
News Release from HART, Feb 2, 2024
HONOLULU – The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) today announced that, late Thursday afternoon, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and HART Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Lori Kahikina signed the Amended Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Their signing of the agreement thereby completes the process of amending the FFGA and releases the first federal funding under the FFGA since 2017 for the Honolulu rail transit project. FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez signed the agreement in Washington, D.C. last week before sending the document to Honolulu.
“This is another critical step forward for the rail project and it was no small feat to accomplish,” said Mayor Blangiardi. “Finalizing the agreement also marks a significant milestone in our partnership with the FTA and paves the way for the completion of Skyline to the Civic Center Station in Kaka‘ako.”
“We truly appreciate the trust and the collaboration of the FTA in getting this amendment completed,” added HART Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina. “This is a huge achievement for the rail project and would not have happened without the involvement and leadership of the Mayor, the Hawaii Congressional delegation, the HART Board and the Honolulu City Council, among others, to get this amendment executed.”
The original FFGA, signed in 2012, provided a grant of $1.55 billion for the Honolulu rail transit project. To date, HART has received approximately $806 million dollars. The Amended FFGA reaffirms the funding of the remaining $744 million and provides milestones for when those monies will be available to the project. Thursday’s execution of the Amended FFGA releases the first $125 million of the funds. The award of the City Center Guideway and Stations contract, expected later this year, will release the next $250 million.
###