Human remains identified at rail site

More human remains were found Friday and Saturday at two sites in Kakaako along the route of the city’s rail project, and one of those sets of remains is a complete burial that might prompt the city to design the rail line around the site to avoid it.

Daniel Grabauskas, executive director of the Hono­lulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, said archaeologists excavating the survey sites told the city one set of remains was discovered in the "flex," or fetal-like position that suggests it is likely a pre-contact burial.

Additional remains believed to belong to at least two other individuals were found at a second site along Hale­kau­wila Street, according to information released by the State Historic Preservation Division on Tuesday.

The burial has been protected, and excavation will continue to gather more information at both sites, according to SHPD.

The remains in a fetal-like position, discovered Friday under a sidewalk near Hale­kau­wila and Keawe streets, is the first complete burial to be found in the path of the rail line. It was found at a site where the city had planned to build a transit system utility box just mauka of the rail line.

A crew with Cultural Surveys Hawaii will now test other spots in the area to find a suitable alternate site for the utility box, according to SHPD.

"This work is being done years in advance of any construction in the area so that we can make any necessary design changes now," Grabauskas said in a statement released Tuesday.

"We have a protocol in place that involves working closely with the State Historic Preservation Division, the Oahu Island Burial Council and other stakeholders to ensure that iwi kupuna are treated with sensitivity and great respect," Grabauskas said in the statement. "Our iwi kupuna protocol is the product of months of collaboration with our stakeholders and we will continue to work together throughout this process."

Grabauskas said he joined representatives of SHPD and the burial council for a prayer on Saturday at the excavation site.

All construction on the $5.26 billion rail project was stopped after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled Aug. 24 that the city should have completed the archaeological survey along the entire 20-mile rail route before beginning construction.

Each month of delays costs the city an estimated $7 million to $10 million, and the city has dramatically stepped up the pace of the archaeological survey work since the court ruling.

Crews are remaining on the job at night and on weekends. The city is also focusing its latest efforts in areas where experts believe burials are most likely to be found.

City officials hope to find burials as early as possible, which will allow them to begin the legally required consultation process with descendents or the burial council.

Thus far the city has completed 98 of 232 survey trenches to be done in the downtown area, and has finished 27 of 40 trenches planned for the airport area, Grabauskas said.

The first human remains discovered along the rail line involved a bone believed to be a human tibia, or shinbone. It was found Sept. 12 in a survey dug below the sidewalk at Cooke and Hale­kau­wila streets.