Transit project expense keeps going off the rails
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
This is the view of the progress of construction of the HART mass transit rail system being built along Kamehameha Hwy. as seen from where the H-1 freeway crosses Kamehameha Hwy. looking west towards Pearl City.
It’s the last Sunday in June and time to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused:
>> City ethics director Chuck Totto resigned after being endlessly harassed by Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s managing director, corporation counsel and Ethics Commission appointees. Caldwell insisted he had nothing to do with it, but ran off without taking questions because his pants were on fire.
>> After famously promising to “build rail better,” Caldwell admitted the project is hopelessly over budget and will have to stop at Middle Street, 5 miles short of its destination. His new slogan: “Better luck next time.”
>> As rail costs passed $8 billion and federal overseers painted a worst case of $10.79 billion, city transportation chief Mike Formby moaned, “Every step along the way, we’ve missed the numbers. How does that happen?” When you do your math with a political calculator instead of an adding machine.
>> Rail officials want to borrow from a $450 million city credit line that then-Mayor Peter Carlisle promised in 2012 wouldn’t be tapped unless “the moon fell into the ocean.” The loud splash you heard was Carlisle’s comeback chances.
>> While Carlisle and former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou filed papers to run against Caldwell, City Council Chairman Ernie Martin chickened out after three years of crowing. Some guys just can’t walk the bawk.
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>> Embattled Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his wife, Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, sued the city for investigating their ethics. It’s on Judge Judy’s docket as “The Case of the Poor, Persecuted Power Couple.”
>> U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii’s most prominent Bernie Sanders backer, told CNN she’s still not ready to support Hillary Clinton for president. She’s waiting to see if Donald Trump offers her a celebrity apprenticeship.
>> Retired Judge Riki May Amano allowed 20 intervenors to join the state’s contested case proceedings on the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea. This case will conclude around the time TMT is putting the final touches on its telescope in India.
>> A judge overturned a ban on free travel for public school teachers who organize trips for their students. It’s about time teachers have the same right to free trips as politicians.
>> The state is spending $6.7 million to replace the roof on our open-air Capitol. Only the state would spend millions for a new hole.
>> Disgraced former City Councilman Rod Tam turned Republican to run for the state Senate, and party chairman Fritz Rohlfing said he’s “thrilled” to have him. It’s so lonely in the local GOP that Rohlfing would be thrilled to have ukus.
And the quote of the month … from Caldwell campaign spokeswoman Glenna Wong on opposition promises to restore integrity, honesty and trust at City Hall: “Honesty, trust and integrity were not lost under Mayor Kirk Caldwell.” They’re just waiting for a bus at Middle Street.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.
12 responses to “Transit project expense keeps going off the rails”
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David, you’re a treasure.
Yes. And these days he stands tall atop a Mauna Kea sized mountain of satirical material, grinning from ear to ear and humming softly…
Summertime,
and the writing is easy.
HART is crashin’,
and the taxes are high.
Caldwell’s rich,
and Tulsi Gabbard’s good lookin’.
So hush little David,
don’t you try (too hard).
Local politicians keep stealing, and we keep allowing it. We deserve everything we get.
This rail situation was very predictable – all the info was well above board before the we voted for anyone who was paying attention. The majority voted for rail so it looks like we’re stuck with an overpriced, under-delivered mess at this point. The dig on Tulsi is ridiculous but not surprising. Personally I admire her principles stand to back Sanders to help keep us out of endless regime-change warfare in the Middle East. I don’t see why teachers should have to pay to take their students on a trip – doesn’t sound like much of a vacation to me.
Always enjoy your column Dave. Too funny but all true which is kind of sad in a way. But what you do you expect from our banana republic.
A few connected do well and most everyone else gets the shaft.
David, you have been putting your digs into rail for as long as I can remember. Bad mouthing it, like you did with Neil. You have also attacked Caldwell. Caldwell is at least trying to do something, like reducing our homeless population, trying to get rail built, repairing our streets and highways. It is so easy to sit on your high horse and criticize others.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three or more times, shame on rail.
Just a feeble attempt to try to find some humor in all of this.
I say cut out have the rail stations and they will save a fortune. Just get it done and on budget.Oh, wait it keeps changing!
Entertaining article , to bad its the truth and the lies have hurt all the Oahu residents and will long into the future. The best thing we can do now is STOP THE CHOO CHOO AT THE STADIUM & TURN THE GUIDE WAY INTO A REVERSABLE HIGHWAY—–WAKE UP HONOLULU
I really would like to know who is responsible for this mess we are in right now, now they are asking for an additional two billion to finish five miles of track to Ala Moana, wow I wonder how many people will actually ride the rail to middle street.
Ridership is not the only purpose of rail metro. Directing urban growth along the rail guide way, instead of sprawling over the entire islland. Building affordable housing and rentals in the vicinity of the rail stations and along the guide way. Providing jobs for the planners, designers, contractors, subcontractors, construction workers, and all the people connected to the rail Metro project. Creating new businesses, shops, restaurants, around the rail stations, thereby, creating more jobs, incomes, and being a catalyst for more economic activity, and revitalizing the neighborhoods and communities arounder and near the rail stations. Rail is an investment in our island economic development.
Rail is a bottomless pit of financial encumbrances and Oahu does not have the economic base to support the yearly maintenance requirements. In its present form, this was ill-conceived and ineptly constructed. To go all the way to Dillingham and not know there was infrastructure that would have to be relocated to facilitate construction until after you get there is ineptitude at its worst. How can you undertake a project without knowing the obstacles to be dealt with before you get to them? does the words “Survey” or “Research” mean anything. Everyone was told this would not be what it was presented to be. A large number of people were so concerned with being fashionable they couldn’t envision logic and common sense as things to be embraced, so here we are.