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Cayetano presents ‘FAST’ alternative

The mayoral candidate proposes combining an dedicated bus lanes, tweaks to existing roads, and changes to our urban rhythms, such as telework and staggered work hours. He estimates his proposal to cost $1.1 billion. But will it reduce our dependence on automobiles?

Ikaika M Hussey

Governor Ben Cayetano, candidate for Honolulu mayor, presented his alternative to heavy rail today. Dubbed “F.A.S.T.,” for “Flexible Affordable Smart Transportation,” the proposal incorporates several components, at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion.

The Cayetano proposal includes:

  1. Express Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for Leeward and Central Oahu as well as a College Express BRT connecting the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu Community College and everything in between
  2. Added Traffic Lanes on King Street and Nimitz Highway
  3. Contraflow lanes on King St. and Dillingham Blvd.* to accommodate rush-hour traffic and dedicated BRT Lanes.
  4. Short underpasses to reduce in-town congestion
  5. A 2-mile elevated reversible Nimitz Flyover for express travel from the airport viaduct to Iwilei and downtown Honolulu
  6. Island-wide traffic signal optimization and 21st century traffic management systems

Cayetano is also proposing non-construction policies to ease traffic congestion, such as telework, staggered hours, and flex time work schedules.