Lori Kahikina will continue serving as the head of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation — and will do so with a sizable raise.
The HART Board of Directors last week approved Kahikina’s new three-year contract to lead Oʻahu's rail construction. Her current contract was set to expire at the end of the year.
Kahikina's new contract, through 2027, will also give her a 22% salary bump to $336,000. Her previous salary of $275,000 has been unchanged since she began leading HART in 2021, the authority said in a news release.
“I want to thank the members of the HART Board's Permitted Interaction Group for working with me to develop the terms of this contract, as well as the Board for approving this contract and placing their continued trust in me to lead HART,” Kahikina said in a statement.
“I'm very passionate about this project and am so pleased we've come to this agreement. Many thanks to our stakeholders, the HART ‘Ohana, and the general public for their patience and support during this process," she added.
There has been some contention between Kahikina and the board recently. For months, the board delayed talks about a new contract but ultimately decided to give her a multi-year contract in July.
Prior to that, Kahikina and Board Chair Colleen Hanabusa argued over Kahikina's handling of the resignation of a project manager. There were other concerns about her performance, too. That led to the city initiating an investigation into whether the board has been “bullying” Kahikina.
The mayor, rail contractors and others had publicly supported Kahikina and praised her work with HART.
Board member Kika Bukoski said during last week's meeting that Kahikina's consistent leadership in rail operations is important.
“ I'm glad that we're moving forward because I think this is a huge milestone in seeing the project to completion. I think, significantly, it’s the agreement by the board to have the option to extend, to maintain that consistency throughout the completion of at least this portion of the project,” he said.
Last week the board also selected HART veteran Lisa Baker to fill a vacancy after former board member Edwin Young resigned for health reasons.
Baker retired from HART in April 2023 after nearly a decade of involvement in various capacities. A HART news release said her focus was on “cost and schedule controls, risk mitigation and management, and contract and claims administration.”
The first section of the rail system from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium has been open to the public since 2023. More information about riding Skyline can be found at honolulu.gov/skyline.
