...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST
WEDNESDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 15 to 25 kt.
* WHERE...Oahu Leeward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County
Windward Waters, Maalaea Bay, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha
Channel, Big Island Leeward Waters and Big Island Southeast
Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Wednesday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
If you're tired of high gas prices and traffic congestion, commuters will soon have another option to get around Oahu.
Commuters clogging up Oahu roads will finally get a chance to jump on Honolulu's rail system revving up this July.
"After 50 years of talk and 15 or 12 years of construction, this is a big deal," said Roger Morton, director of the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services.
City officials are getting ready to welcome thousands of commuters to ride the first driverless rail system in the country.
"Yeah, just cross our fingers," said Lisa Stender, a rider of TheBus. "We've been waiting for years for this since Mayor Fasi wanted the rail so here we are."
Up to about 15,000 commuters are expected to ride on the first leg of the rail between East Kapolei and Aloha Stadium. Buses connecting to town will run every 10 minutes.
"This is about providing options to people, particularly on the west side," Morton said. "Because you know, it's virtually impossible for us to widen our freeways, to widen our roads."
The cost to ride the rail is the same as to ride TheBus, at $3 a ride or $80 a month. Youth are half that price with discounts for seniors, disabled and low-income people.
"Really it's the same as getting on a bus and transferring to another bus," he added. "This is just going to be getting on a bus and transferring to a rail."
Some riders are critical of the $10 billion price tag of the rail, but others say it's a necessary price to pay for paradise.
"It creates less pollution because nature is very important," said TheBus rider Stephen King. "It'll, again, cause less traffic for people. And once people do get used to it, it's elevated so it's not along the ground and causing traffic flow to stop."
The city says the first rides will be free on the opening weekend of the rail. And parking will be too -- at West Oahu Community College, the Hoopili station and Aloha Stadium.
To get people ready to ride, they're creating brochures, having town hall meetings and partnering with businesses along the rail line.
"We're going to try to get the entire island to come," Morton said.
Kristen joined KITV4 in March 2021 after working for the past two decades as a newspaper reporter. Kristen's goal is to produce meaningful journalism that educates, enlightens and inspires to affect positive change in society.
