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Gov. Neil Abercrombie has released about $52.5 million for capital improvement projects that will include an interim car rental facility at Honolulu Airport, an underwater fiber-optic cable, an electrical distribution system at Kalaeloa and other projects.
Each project represents "an investment in the future of Hawaii and our ability to be proactive in shaping our future as a state," Abercrombie said in a statement Friday.
Most of the money will be used to finance a short-term loan of $43 million to build a temporary operational area for five car rental companies at the airport. The overall project is expected to expand the facility for eight rental car companies.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism will receive $2.2 million to plan privately managed, shared open-access underwater fiber-optic cable land stations. DBEDT will work with the state Department of Defense on the project.
Abercrombie said the fiber-optic cable will help the state achieve its goal of providing universal access to affordable, high-speed Internet service by 2018.
"For a state as isolated as our own, high-speed Internet can be transformative, connecting families, businesses and institutions; spurring economic development and innovation; and giving current and future generations a competitive edge," Abercrombie said.
Other projects receiving funds are the Kalaeloa East Energy Corridor ($3.5 million), Department of Accounting and General Services Information and Communication Services Division radio sites ($2.1 million), the Pohukaina Street Mixed-Use Transit Oriented Development Project ($1.5 million) and the reactivation of the Hawaii island’s Kulani Correctional Facility ($284,177).
