MAYOR HANNEMANN APPLAUDS $20 MILLION IN FEDERAL HELP FOR RAIL TRANSIT

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said he is very pleased that the U.S. Senate today approved Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, which includes $20 million for Honolulu’s rail transit project.

“We greatly appreciate all the hard work by Senator Daniel Inouye and the other members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation to secure federal assistance for this project that is so important to our economy and our future,” Mayor Hannemann said. “Once again, Senator Inouye came through for Hawaii when it really counted.”

The money will help pay for preliminary engineering and design of the transit system, and follows a separate federal appropriation of $15 million last year.

The money will complement the project’s dedicated local funding source: the 0.5 percent Oahu surcharge on the state General Excise Tax. The City anticipates federal assistance to eventually total approximately $1 billion.

“It is very clear that our rail transit project will be a major economic stimulus for Hawaii, provide thousands of well-paying jobs and create an environmentally friendly alternative to traffic congestion,” Mayor Hannemann said.

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Media contact: Bill Brennan, Mayor’s Office, 527-6928