Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Hawaii News

Rail project saving $140M on power-line clearance

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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Rail construction snakes between utility poles on Kamehameha Highway. Under the new plan unveiled at Thursday’s Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board meeting, most of the overhead power lines running along the rail route’s first 11 miles from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium would stay in place, and HECO crews would work on them using new, specialized trucks and cranes.

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COURTESY HECO

Rail’s elevated guideway is too close to the power lines that run alongside it for Hawaiian Electric Co. crews to access those lines in the utility’s standard “bucket” trucks. The issue was neglected for years. Now, the city will buy special trucks that can maneuver in that space — a move that’s expected to be much cheaper than putting the lines underground.