The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is about to embark on the final leg of the currently budgeted guideway for Skyline, which at completion would extend from East Kapolei to South Street.

This is at the same time a threshold that HART and advocates of the rail transit system have longed to cross, and another nail-biting time for the project.

The takeaway at this point is that the agency must make the most of this momentum by managing its resources carefully. Skyline needs to move ahead as far as possible toward the eventual terminus at Ala Moana.

It is a relief that the semi-autonomous transit authority moved past a stormy period with its chief executive officer, Lori Kahikina, whom the board awarded a new three-year contract. Her annual salary, now $336,000, includes a 22% raise. That is a vote of confidence she earned by bringing the moribund $10 billion public works enterprise to its first phase of operation.

And she will have ample opportunity to continue proving herself, navigating what are sure to be some ongoing challenges executing the City Center contract that follows the already grueling Dillingham Boulevard corridor segment.

California-based Tutor Perini Corp., which stood alone when the only other bidder dropped out, in August was given a $1.66 billion design-build contract, $360 million more than HART had budgeted.

In a “Spotlight Now” interview last week on Hawaii News Now, Kahikina acknowledged that Tutor Perini has a strong record of accomplishment in handling projects as large as this one.

Kahikina then underscored that the company is a “tough contractor” with a record for enforcing terms, issuing change orders when problems arise. Kahikina said she met with its CEO, Ronald Tutor, and pressed for a cooperative partnership, ensuring that everyone succeeds.

Yes: Averting an adversarial relationship can keep the budget from being studded with cost increases.

Tutor Perini has announced that design will start immediately, with construction estimated to begin in the second half of 2025 and completion projected for 2030.

Residents and businesses in this very congested downtown area should steel themselves for five full years of construction disruption. And it’s work that HART officials see as even more arduous than on Dillingham, offering just as little room to move.

The 2026 fiscal year operating and capital budgets must be submitted to the city administration by Dec. 1. Thankfully, along with the difficulties there are green shoots of hope.

Even with the higher-than-expected contract bid, HART is citing higher-than-expected general excise tax receipts as well, as well as savings on debt financing that the project could bank.

Officials are encouraged that the $40.3 million in interest payments on project loans amounts to $4.6 million less than they’re costing in the current budget.

Inflation will drive up labor costs by almost 4% in the next fiscal year, which presents a problem for HART’s efforts to fill numerous vacancies, some in key positions. It’s clear, though, that authority executives and the board need to look for expenses they can shrink or postpone.

The city Department of Transportation Services, for its part, must continue to look for ways to drive more ridership — which should be easier once Skyline’s airport connection goes live next year.

One smart move: the reported efforts to accommodate Tutor Perini staff within the HART headquarters. This should save money as well as enable optimal coordination of the project.

Both ends must be achieved to keep the ultimate goal — a workable, affordable rail system — within reach.