DEC. 4, 2006 -- The Honolulu City Council is set to vote this month on a mass transit plan that could be the biggest public works project in city history. A look at the options the city is weighing kicks off a three-part KHON2 special report.

It's been decades in the making, Honolulu's pursuit of mass transit.

"It was from the mid-‘70s that we knew there couldn't be any other solution," said Councilmember Gary Okino, who like the majority of his council colleagues is backing rail out of four options studied in a $10 million report called an Alternatives Analysis.

"I really believe the public supports this, despite what those who oppose rail are saying," said Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Those opposed to rail want a closer look at the other alternatives studied.

"Take off the most expensive forms of transit,’ said John Charles of Portland’s Cascade Policy Institute, who came to Honolulu recently to speak to a group opposing rail and in favor of managed lane options. “Take them off the table, and then start looking at rubber-tired, road-based forms."

Options studied range from "no build" to an expanded bus fleet, and managed lanes known as H.O.T. lanes for high-occupancy toll.

"I think an elevated tollway is a better alternative than going automatically to a rail system that could potentially bankrupt us," said Councilmember Charles Djou.

Some on the council agree H.O.T. lanes have merit but question how it would work for Honolulu's geography and environment.

“With the managed lanes, when you come to the end, then I don't know where all those cars are going," said Councilmember Ann Kobayashi.

"Where do you park all of those cars?” said Gary Okino. “Adding more cars will never be the answer."

The city's alternatives analysis states "Traffic congestion…. is expected to continue to exist under all alternatives." So why spend billions on any solution?

"The question's not what are we going to do with the traffic that's there today,” said Councilmember Todd Apo. “The question is, that traffic's going to grow. If we don't do rail or some alternative like that, then all those new cars are going to add to what's already there."

The Alternatives Analysis study says traffic "delay (is) projected to be substantially lower for the fixed guideway (rail) alternative."

Opponents of rail challenge whether that will pencil out. Some cities like Vancouver have had great success with rail; others like Miami have had nothing but trouble.

“It's a great set of learning experiences for us,” Apo said, “taking what's worked in places but also understanding what's failed in other places."

It's a decision that's on target for year-end. The bill before the council currently pegs rail as the locally preferred alternative. A majority vote will decide it.

"I think it's the hardest decision we'll ever make because it's all this money we have to spend and yet we have to do something about our traffic," Kobayashi said.

Our series continues Tuesday and Wednesday examining the details of the mass transit plan before the council, and how we'll pay for it.