01-05-2025
New bus station to be built at location of recent plane crash
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Big plans are in the works for the Old Sky Chef building on Ualena Street near Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
'We're putting out a contract in May of this year that we would award in October to move forward with construction by late this year, to demolish that building and completely erase it, get rid of it, so that we can have this place available to build a new bus facility in that area,' Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen explained.
Preliminary report released for fatal Kamaka Air crash
In December 2024, a Kamaka Airlines cargo plane crashed into the building shortly after take-off, killing the two young pilots onboard.
The building, which is owned by the state, was built in the 1970s and has been abandoned for some time.
DOT is budgeting between $2 million and $3 million for the demolition and clearing of the area.
According to Sniffin, the building should be gone by early 2026, and DOT will be able to start construction on the new electric bus facility.
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'The bus facility, right now, is in the Diamond Head concourse area, the area where it's going to be, so we have to move it,' he explained. 'So when we do move it, we need another area for us to service our buses and store them, so that's where it's going to be.'
Sniffen said they are working with HECO to ensure the new facility has the required charging capabilities.
In a statement, HECO said: 'We had preliminary discussions with the Department of Transportation about this project. At Hawaiian Electric, the growth of EV charging infrastructure is foundational to Hawaii's adoption of electrified transportation.'
DOT is still using diesel buses for its Wiki Wiki bus service at the airport.
A DOT spokesperson confirmed that they have ordered four electric buses but could not confirm when those buses would arrive. DOT said that the electric buses will be charged by the service provider until the new facility is finished.
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'The new bus facilities are going to range from $100 million to $150 million,' Sniffen said.
No word on when construction on the new bus facility is expected to be completed yet.
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