A showcase for light rail in greater Honolulu.
1. Rebuild the route of the Oahu Railway & Land Co. route from East Kapolei to downtown Honolulu (vaguely the portion of the HART line from East Kapolei Station to Chinatown Station) which provided service from roughly 1890 to 1945. Today this part is actually 3/4 done as the existing HART construction so the needed at-grade portion would run from Middle St. Station to perhaps Chinatown Station. A portion of existing thoroughfares would be commandeered and an LRT reservation comparable to Minneapolis or Boston or Houston, to name a few, constructed. A limited number of grade crossings would be provided and they would have crossing gates like in Minneapolis.
2. After that, rebuild a portion of the Honolulu Rapid Transit route from Chinatown to Waikiki (via King St. and Kalakaua Ave, on which there was light rail service from about 1890 to 1940). Unlike back then, there is now a choice of thoroughfares to choose from and commandeer for the new project.
For the above, very little underground utility relocation, very little desecration of buried historic artifacts, and very little unsightly above ground infrastructure are needed.
3. After that, build grade separated portions of roadway for general traffic at additional intersections as desired. Depending on space requirements, some of these might comprise overpasses without turn lanes onto and off of the boulevard with the LRT route, and some regular streets reconfigured as one way street pairs..
1. Rebuild the route of the Oahu Railway & Land Co. route from East Kapolei to downtown Honolulu (vaguely the portion of the HART line from East Kapolei Station to Chinatown Station) which provided service from roughly 1890 to 1945. Today this part is actually 3/4 done as the existing HART construction so the needed at-grade portion would run from Middle St. Station to perhaps Chinatown Station. A portion of existing thoroughfares would be commandeered and an LRT reservation comparable to Minneapolis or Boston or Houston, to name a few, constructed. A limited number of grade crossings would be provided and they would have crossing gates like in Minneapolis.
2. After that, rebuild a portion of the Honolulu Rapid Transit route from Chinatown to Waikiki (via King St. and Kalakaua Ave, on which there was light rail service from about 1890 to 1940). Unlike back then, there is now a choice of thoroughfares to choose from and commandeer for the new project.
For the above, very little underground utility relocation, very little desecration of buried historic artifacts, and very little unsightly above ground infrastructure are needed.
3. After that, build grade separated portions of roadway for general traffic at additional intersections as desired. Depending on space requirements, some of these might comprise overpasses without turn lanes onto and off of the boulevard with the LRT route, and some regular streets reconfigured as one way street pairs..
Build something. Anything.