Final DEIS Hearing Set for Bishop Museum

The Filipino Community Center audience listens to testimony at tonight's public hearing.

The traveling transit public hearing caravan rolled into Waipahu’s Filipino Community Center this evening and will make its final stop from 6 to 8 p.m. tomorrow at Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street in Honolulu.

Numerous display boards will be erected on a wide variety of topics and issues related to Honolulu’s rapid transit project. Copies of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be available for review, and project representatives will be present to answer questions.

Although Thursday’s hearing will be the last of five such events, the public comment period will remain open until January 7. Written comments may be sent to the Department of Transportation Services, 650 South King Street, 3rd Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Comments must be received or postmarked by 4:30 p.m. on January 7, 2009.

Copies of the Draft EIS also can be reviewed at State libraries, the City library, the Department of Transportation Services (at the above address) and at the Rapid Transit Division office, 1099 Alakea Street, Suite 1700.

DEIS Chapter List

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Honolulu fixed guideway transit project can be read at your leisure at the project’s website. Here’s a list of the contents; go to the Decmber 4th post for links:

Executive Summary
Chapter 1 – Background, Purpose and Need
Chapter 2 – Alternatives Considered
Chapter 3 – Transportation (existing and future 2030 transportation system conditions, service characteristics, performance and transportation-related effects of the Project’s alternatives)
Chapter 4 – Environmental Analysis, Consequences and Mitigation
Chapter 5 – Section 4(f) Evaluation (protection of public parklands and recreational lands, wildlife refuges and historic sites of national, state or local significance)
Chapter 6 – Cost and Financial Analsys
Chapter 7 – Evaluation of Alternatives
Chapter 8 – Comments and Coordination
Appendix A – Conceptual Alignment Plans and Profiles
Appendix B – Conceptual Right-of-Way Plans
Appendix C – Construction Approach
Appendix D – Record of Agency Correspondence and Coordination
Appendix E – Record of Public and Stakeholder Correspondence and Coordination