OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU 530 SOUTH KING STREET. ROOM 300 HONOLULU. HAWAII 96813 PHONE: (808) 768-4141 - FAX: (808)768-4242 - INTERNET ROY K. AMEMIYA. JR. MANAGING DIRECTOR KIRK CALDWELL MAYOR T. DEEMER DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR January 29, 2020 Mr. Tobias Martyn, Chairman Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit and Members Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation 1099 Alakea Street, Suite 1700 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Dear Chair Martyn and Members: We want to express our appreciation to each of you for the time and energy that you are contributing as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART). As we all know, the Honolulu Rail Transit Project (the Project) is a complex project with many important components. We are writing to call your attention to some of our current concerns of the Project. As further described below, our primary concerns involve the P3 schedule, the overall Project schedule, the City Center utility relocation work, the focus on an arti?cial date for the initial opening of service, timely Right of Way access and resource capacity. We urge the Board to engage with HART management to better understand and monitor these matters: . Delavs in the due dates for the Public Private Partnership (P3) proposals for the City Center seqment of the Project. To date, there have been four delays in the proposal due dates and the expected Award Date of the contract. We have been told repeatedly that the process is going well, there are multiple parties interested in proposing on the Project, and the overall Project timeline is still achievable. The proposal process should be concluded within the current schedule, which calls for an Award Date of May 15, 2020. The Board needs to ensure there are no more delays in the proposal timeline. . Slippage in the overall Proiect schedule. HART continues to assure all interested parties that the overall Project schedule is achievable and the expected completion of the rail system to Ala Moana Center continues to be December 2025. The Federal Transit Administration has stated that their analysis predicts the completion will be September 2026. We have been told that the HART Project schedule has routinely maintained an approximate one-year of cushion, however the cushion has recently dropped to just over 100 days. The Board needs to ensure that the current schedule is maintained. The primary goal of HART should be completion of the Project, including all appropriate safety considerations and certi?cations, to allow for opening of service as promised. Distractions to meeting this Project timeline should be kept to a minimum. Mr. Tobias Martyn, Chairman Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit and Members January 29, 2020 Page 2 City Center Utility Relocations (CCUR). It has been known for several years that a key task within the Project would be the utility relocations through the City Center section of the Project, particularly along Dillingham Boulevard. Yet, the CCUR project has not progressed as it should and is now a ?critical path? item in the overall Project schedule. The City stands ready to issue the necessary permits to allow HART to work at an accelerated pace along Dillingham; however, these permits are dependent on the City receiving an appropriate traffic management plan from HART, which was expected in November 2019 and again in December 2019 and, to our knowledge, has not yet been submitted. Further delays in this work could directly impact the overall Project schedule. The Board must ensure that an acceptable traf?c management plan is submitted to the City and that no additional slippage occurs in the overall schedule of work. Interim Opening. Under a 2016 Charter Amendment, the City's Department of Transportation Services is responsible for operations of the rail system. HART's responsibility is for the design, construction, testing and commissioning of the system. Yet, HART continues to insist on public discussion of when rail service will begin, while the City has not committed to a date for the opening of service. Internally, the City's target date is December 2020, but the City is not yet confident in the ability to open by that date. However, HART has routinely and openly discussed an October 2020 opening date. Sometimes this has been referred to by HART as a ?soft opening? but be aware that the first time a passenger steps on a train, the system must be fully ready to operate. Full readiness includes the proper hiring and training of staff, completion of all testing protocols and the completion of all required Federal and State safety certifications. The Board should require HART to cease making promises to the public of an arti?cial starting date of rail service. In addition, it is a further concern that HART's insistence on focusing on an interim service date may actually distract from the P3 procurement process and/or the progress toward overall Project completion. Right of Way. Acquisitions of required parcels and/or access rights to properties has been a long-term, well-known and extremely important component of the Project. But yet, there are several parcels for which access has not yet been granted and properties that have not yet been acquired. We understand some of these parcels are on the critical path of the Project and therefore could impact the overall Project schedule. The Board should focus on the properties that pose a risk to the Project, ensure appropriate plans are in place for each parcel, and closely monitor progress of the acquisitions and/or access rights. Mr. Tobias Martyn, Chairman Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit and Members January 29, 2020 Page 3 . Resource Management. It is no secret that HART has experienced signi?cant turnover in key staff. With the work that is underway, including CCUR, the P3 procurement, real estate acquisitions, and ongoing construction and core system work, the Board should ensure that HART has appropriate staf?ng in key roles and monitor actions that are being taken to retain key staff. We are sure there are many other matters that also require the Board?s attention. But we urge the Board to understand and monitor these particular areas. We want to assure the Board and HART's management that the City continues to be very supportive of the Project. This Project will serve our community for many years into the future and we want it to be successful, which is why we feel compelled to share our concerns with you. Thank you again for your volunteer service to this Board and to the City and County of Honolulu. Sincerely, q. . Kirk Caldwell lkaika Anderson Mayor Chair Honolulu City Council cc: Governor David Ige Senator Mazie Hirono Senator Brian Schatz Congressman Ed Case Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Senate President Ronald Kouchi Speaker of the House Scott Saiki City Council Members HART Board of Directors Mr. Andrew S. Robbins, CEO, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Mr. Roy K. Amemiya, Jr., Managing Director, City and County of Honolulu