Rail

To what or whom should we be looking for leadership to get us out of this mess?

... this week, the rail board cancelled a special audit designed to show taxpayers why the costs have ballooned so high ....

...there has never been a full independent audit investigating the rail for fraud, waste and abuse....

...no specific dates have been set for the special session and no rail funding mechanism has been agreed upon....

Stuck in traffic? Panos Prevedouros will share traffic solutions that will free up our state's gridlock and get traffic flowing again....

...Representative Cynthia Thielen (H District 50 Kailua, Kaneohe Bay) assistant Minority Floor Leader, discusses the Honolulu rail project with Randall W. Roth, JD,LLM....

...McDermott calls for Special Session....

...it's something we should have done a long time ago....

...Tax Foundation of Hawaii v. State of Hawaii on Thursday, July 6, 2017, at 11:15 AM at the Supreme Court Courtroom....

...Hawaii Legislators pledge to Keep Shoveling Money to Silicon Valley Billionaires like Elon Musk....

...boom over, Honolulu down 300 jobs....

...Law professor Randy Roth, who has a long history advocating for the public good, appears on E Hana Kakou with Dr. Akina to discuss why it is time to hold our government leaders responsible for the progress of the Rail....

But signs in the media, the Legislature and the governor’s office all point to a special session this summer where the tax hikes are likely to materialize....

“During the time that Ember served as managing director, she oversaw the city’s capital budget and program – billions of dollars of construction projects...."

...To perpetuate the legacy (Railroad) of the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye....

Today's Star-Adv Labels what many consider a sensible decision as an “Epic Fail” in screaming all-caps....

...Shut up or we’ll make you pay for rail too....

...the Senate remains open to negotiate an agreement with the House to ensure adequate financing to complete the project, yet minimize the impact on the most vulnerable citizens of the community....

...the lack of dissent allows tax-and-spend policies to move smoothly through the Hawaii Legislature...until....

...Construction employment in Urban Honolulu dropped 4% from 28,400 in March, 2016 to 27,200 in March, 2017 for a net loss of 1,200 jobs....

...Shifting Burden to Hotels Will Hurt Tourism and Employment....

...the Final Environmental Impact Statement concluded that rail would reduce traffic congestion by less than 2% and that “traffic congestion will be worse in the future with rail than what it is today....

...Caldwell introduces bill authorizing city to extend GET surcharge to pay for rail construction....

...an additional $1.2 billion funding package for the City’s financially troubled rail project....

“This shows that the city is committed to funding and completing the rail project,” said Mayor Caldwell....

...city officials feel they have been given the green light to get the project finished, whatever the eventual cost might be....

...this project started with a rock solid $5.3 billion projection cost....

...the Honolulu rail boondoggle, Hoopili traffic impacts, smart city street intersections and rapid transit with Panos Prevedouros....

“Due to the at-risk private capital, Public-Private Partnerships often result in lower costs, less risk, and faster delivery....

This Resolution directs the State Auditor to conduct a cost comparison between completing the rail system from Middle Street to Downtown Honolulu with street level versus an elevated rail system....

It's true that the session is far from over. And this bill could certainly end up morphing yet again....

Optional extension routes to Waikiki and the University of Hawaii could be made at a cost of $139 M/mile....

...HART’s wildly inflated rail ridership projections, the surging cost of the project, and pleas from the mayor's office to obtain more tax dollars....

...the State is making a ton of money off the skim....

The Legislature should not approve any extensions of the GET and it should pass a bill directing the city to handle current and future deficits with its own resources. This offers hope for some accountability and cost containment....

The State kept 10% of the surcharge collected or $25.92 million – which is more than the Department of Taxation’s entire Fiscal Year 2016 operating budget of $24 million....

the Department of Taxation has been allowed to keep a full 10% of the rail surcharge for the costs of administering it, despite the fact that the law directs DOTAX to calculate how much is required for its management of the surcharge, then return the remainder to the rail project....

Hawaii’s State Government has unnecessarily profited from the Honolulu rail project....

Grassroot Institute Urges Legislature to Act on Surcharge "Skimming"....

The document obtained by the Star proposes funding the projects as public-private partnerships, with half the money coming from private investment....

"The State of Hawaii owns about 50% of the land along the rail corridor between Kapolei and downtown Honolulu and can raise millions of dollars through the sale of development rights...."

Projects Not Started or Suspended....

"We’ve got to wake up and sell development rights along the rail, like they do in Japan and Hong Kong."

Modifying the HART project to allow street level operation for the final five miles will save money ($2.9 - $4.2B), will save time (completed in 2020 vs. 2025) and will provide a much more environmentally acceptable system Downtown that can be easily extended to Waikiki and UH Manoa....

...the OR&L ROW, a 40-foot wide stretch from Central Waipahu to Piliokahe Gulch in Nanakuli, owned by HDOT....

...splints that have cracks... tendons that aren’t working properly... the railcars....

Post-tensioning, final set and finishing work on the guideway will follow the initial set, and will continue through January....