Cliff Slater of HonoluluTraffic.com and Stop Rail Now and Honolulu mayoral candidate Dr. Panos Prevedouros led two busloads of people on a tour through urban Honolulu this past weekend along the proposed $6.4 billion rail transit system route.
I was on the bus with Slater. The second bus was narrated by Dr. Prevedouros. The tour started at Ala Moana Center and traveled through Nimitz Highway to a point near the airport, and back through Kalihi on Dillingham onward to Kakaako through Halekawila and Queen Streets. We then went back to Ala Moana Center and down on Kapiolani Blvd. up to the University of Hawaii where the 2nd phase of the rail is supposed to end.
Along the way, Slater pointed out where various properties that would be impacted by the 20 to 80 foot high elevated rail and transit stations. It was a tour where you had to imagine what open areas of our major thoroughfares would look like from ground level as dark passageways with concrete and steel elevated structures blocking the views of the blue Hawaiian sky. The rail line will split neighborhoods and be a visual blight upon our fair city, taking away any semblance of a "Hawaii sense of place".
Often mentioned and pointed out during the tour were private properties along the rail line where the city would have to come in and acquire them through eminent domain. This will be true for many areas in Iwilei, Kalihi along Dillingham, Halekawila and Queen Streets in Kakaako and along Kapiolani Boulevard headed up to the University of Hawaii. Residential and commercial properties will be impacted by rail and eminent domain.
The city has not unveiled exactly what properties these are because the in-town portion of the proposed rail line has not been finalized. Speculation runs rampant and so far no property owner has been notified about possible city acquisition in the urban core. I think the city is waiting for the Environmental Impact Statement to be completed. Once that happens, the fireworks will be set.
Slater also pointed out where his Hot Lane proposal would end, which is essentially at Iwilei just Ewa of the Hilo Hattie factory store. This is also where the state's proposed Nimitz flyover will also end. The Hot Lane plan as I understand it will cover most of the Leeward route and will cost less to build than the elevated train.
One final thing. The city also proposes a rail spur from Kapiolani down through Kalakaua and somewhere through Waikiki, Hawaii's very important tourist resort area. Will tourists escaping from their urban areas built up with similar elevated trains want to see our elevated train in Waikiki? Remember this train and its structure will block out the Hawaii sky and divide the neighborhood. Just like Chicago. Just like Tokyo. Possibly filled with grafitti and the type of urban nomads people don't want to see. Not the picture of paradise we want to project. Expensive. Ugly!
Photos by Mel, top photo: The stretch of Queen Street between Ward and Kamakee will be adversely impacted by rail and General Growth Properties development. Bottom photo: Cliff Slater narrates our urban core transit tour. More photos at this link.
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