Kiewit Showcases Honolulu Transit Construction
The first phase of the 20-mile light rail system may open in late 2020, and the entire system is scheduled to be fully operational in 2025.
With 5 miles of the guideway completed for Oahu's light rail transit system as of January 2017 -- 25 percent of the entire project's 20-mile elevated guideway -- the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) has much to celebrate this year. Kiewit Corporation won the first three contracts to construct the guideway and has featured an article about the 1.55 billion project's construction in its first-quarter 2017 Kieways newsletter.
The article notes the light rail system will ease significant traffic congestion, and it explains some of the decisions made by Kiewit as it has built the guideway. For example, the company is using a form-first column method and also an underslung guideway installation process.
Kiewit Operations Manager Dustin Donahoo explains in the article that, "By documenting a step-by-step process for [the underslung guideway approach], crews were trained and able to consistently perform the operation to meet quality standards. We needed to make sure we knew what all the steps were to the underslung truss and that we had good, solid processes that everyone could follow to prevent quality or safety mistakes."
Completing the first 5 miles is "an important milestone," Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said. "This is a visual reminder of the fact that we are building our way to a better transportation future. As commuters drive by and look at the guideway, they know that an alternative to sitting in traffic is on the way."
The first phase of the light rail system may open in late 2020, and the entire system is scheduled to be fully operational in 2025.