Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) chief executive Andrew Robbins held a joint press conference to announce that the P3 procurement was being terminated.
Caldwell had ended the city’s involvement in the P3 back in September, but Robbins had maintained it was the best option for the city and continued with the procurement, even suggesting in recent weeks that the decision on a partner was closer than ever.
Robbins had faced significant opposition from the HART board, which had voted 7-2 in favor of terminating the contract. That vote failed because the rules required it to be unanimous to come into effect.
However, Robbins has now accepted that the agency cannot successfully deliver the project without the city’s support and HART has therefore agreed to cancel procurement and instead proceed with a re-procurement for design and construction only. This process is likely to take 12 months.