For a second consecutive year, the rail project’s top executive will receive a $35,000 bonus.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board voted unanimously Thursday to approve the bonus for Dan Grabauskas. He recently completed the second year of a three-year contract as executive director and chief executive officer on the $5.26 billion effort to build Oahu’s 20-mile, 21-station rail transit line.

The first 10-mile leg, from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium, is slated to start running in 2017.

Grabauskas’ contract gives him a base annual salary of $245,000 and the opportunity to receive the bonus if he hits performance objectives that he and the board agree upon at the beginning of each year.

From April 2013 to March, Grabauskas had to hit 29 benchmarks that fell under three categories: organizational development, project delivery and community leadership.

After the vote, HART board Chairman Ivan Lui-Kwan said Grabauskas’ ability to build trust with community members and rail stakeholders was a key reason for the bonus.

"It’s really benefited the project in tangible ways," Lui-Kwan said, pointing in particular to Grabauskas’ handling of the lawsuit in state court that halted rail construction for a year.

"That process could’ve taken easily three years," Lui-Kwan said.

While not directly endorsing the bonus, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell also praised Grabauskas’ performance prior to the HART board vote, during the comments portion of the board’s Thursday meeting.

Grabauskas’ contract also provides annual allowances of $6,000 for transportation and $36,000 for housing. HART is a semiautonomous government agency, but the bonus makes Grabauskas the city’s highest-paid employee.

The city’s medical examiner, Dr. Christopher Happy, is second with $250,008.