It has taken more than a decade for Ho‘opili to leave the starting gate, and Thursday’s groundbreaking for the master- planned development marks the beginning of a major, welcome transformation on Oahu’s Ewa Plain.

Ho‘opili, which means to bring together or unite, definitely will pull together tens of thousands of people who will move into the community’s 11,750 homes when all is said and done. That is much-needed housing stock — with 30 percent designated affordable to households with low to moderate incomes — for the island.

The hope is that many of the residents will be able to live, work and play in West Oahu, which would lessen the impact on traffic headed east — already burdensome for westside commuters.

Adding thousands more motorists and vehicles to the mix will be challenging, to put it mildly.

Forward-thinking leadership is required to address the transportation needs for the area, and officials must seriously look at reviving capacity projects to ease eastbound congestion — especially since an operational rail transit system is years away.

Many of the capacity projects, including H-1 freeway widening from Waiawa to Halawa, were tabled in favor of maintaining existing highways, and the issue deserves reassessment.

The population spike Ho‘opili is expected to bring makes it all the more critical for elected officials to press forward with steady economic development in the area so that the “Second City” transitions from concept to reality.

The signs are already pointing that way, and there is much to look forward to.

Kalaeloa, the former Barbers Point, is becoming a focal point for redevelopment. The rail transit system is taking shape from East Kapolei. The University of Hawaii-West Oahu is now rooted in Kapolei with plans for expansion.

Nearly two weeks ago, Macy’s, the anchor of Ka Makana Alii, a major shopping center, opened its doors with several more of the mall’s stores set to open next month. Meanwhile, luxury resorts planned in Ko Olina are expected to come online within the next few years.

All this forward progress ultimately feeds additional jobs into the region, which so far has not been able to produce anywhere near the amount of employment to keep up with the population boom.

Construction of Ho‘opili’s first phase, which includes nearly 300 homes, begins this fall; by next summer, the houses should be finished. Commercial space and a 1.8-acre neighborhood park with playground equipment, plus a gathering pavilion, round out the first phase that will cover 50 of Ho‘opili’s 1,554-acre site.

And whether supportive of the project or not, there is something to be said about the persistence of developer D.R. Horton.

A decade-plus is a lengthy time frame for a company to prevail through the regulatory and judicial process.

Elected officials who attended the project’s groundbreaking lauded the effort to add housing stock on the Ewa Plain.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell said 24,000 to 48,000 people will make Ho‘opili their home and obtain a quality of life that includes being on the rail line and walking to work.

But in order for Ho‘opili to be a truly livable community, the surrounding areas and infrastructure will need to grow at an equally smart pace.