Honolulu aims for $20 million for BRT

The city of Honolulu hopes to garner $20 million in federal funds to complete the first stage of its bus rapid transit (BRT) system to run from Iwilei to Waikiki. The project’s first segment is expected to cost $51 million, with the city planning to pay more than 60 percent of the total cost, reported The Honolulu Advertiser. Plans to seek funding came after the City Council warned that money would not be provided for transit projects until local financing was available. So far, only $31 million in local money has been authorized by the city. Recently, members of the City Council Transportation Committee were able to include the project on an island-wide Transportation Improvement Program, a necessary step in the quest for approval. Further plans for the money include widening roads, changing traffic signals and building elevated bus stations, Cheryl Soon, transportation services director, told The Advertiser.