Rail foes win big

The state Supreme Court agrees work on the project should not have begun without a full archaeological survey

By Kevin Dayton

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 25, 2012

~~<p>Opponents of the $5.26 billion Oahu rail project won a clear victory Friday as the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a state agency violated its rules by approving the rail project before an archaeological survey was completed for the 20-mile rail route.</p>
<p>In a unanimous ruling, the court found that rules governing the State Historic Preservation Division "do not permit the SHPD to concur in the rail Project" until the city finishes the survey to determine whether there are Native Hawaiian burials or other archaeological resources in the path of the rail line.</p>
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Opponents of the $5.26 billion Oahu rail project won a clear victory Friday as the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a state agency violated its rules by approving the rail project before an archaeological survey was completed for the 20-mile rail route.

In a unanimous ruling, the court found that rules governing the State Historic Preservation Division "do not permit the SHPD to concur in the rail Project" until the city finishes the survey to determine whether there are Native Hawaiian burials or other archaeological resources in the path of the rail line. Login for more...