The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) has awarded a $1.66bn contract to the Tutor Perini Corporation (TPC) for the design and construction of the next segment of its rail transit ‘Skyline’ project for the city of Honolulu in Hawaii, US. 

The City Centre Guideway and Stations (CCGS) contract will see TPC work on three miles of elevated rail guideway via six stations through downtown Honolulu for the final segment of the city’s long gestating project. 

HART CEO Lori Kahikina said: “This is another huge milestone for our rail project. This is the largest single contract of the entire project and sets the course for completing the project through downtown Honolulu.” 

The awarding of the CCGS contract comes four years after the authority scrapped a previous Public-Private Partnership procurement process after being unsatisfied with the proposed costs of the bids put forward by contractors. 

TPC’s work on designing the final section of Skyline is set to begin following the execution of the contract in mid-September, with construction expected to start in the second half of 2025 for completion by 2030. 

The CGGS section will run from a station near the Middle Street Transit Centre Station and end at the Civic Centre Station, adding to the first Skyline section, West Side Stations and Guideway, which opened to the public in June 2030 and the second section, Airport Guideway and Stations (AGS), which is expected to open in late 2025, 

The idea of a fixed rail guideway connecting the city has been in the works since 2006, when it was first selected as the best option for a mass transit system by Honolulu City Council, but has faced several delays related to funding, legal issues, and the scope of the project. 

Issues with the project have also persisted into the last year with HART launching multiple legal actions the Shimmick/Traylor/Granite Joint Venture responsible for the AGS section over delays to the completion of the project.