Harbors Kapalama Container Terminal Becoming a Reality
By: Carter Luke
The Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT) started as an idea in the 1989 Honolulu Waterfront Master Plan and was developed further by the maritime industry stakeholders in the 1997 Oahu Commercial Harbors 2020 Master Plan and solidified in the 2014 Kapalama Container Terminal and Tenant Relocations – Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Director Jade Butay.
In 2008, Act 200 was passed, it assigned development of the Harbors Modernization Plan to Aloha Tower Development Corporation. However, in 2010 the Harbors Modernization was returned to the Harbors Division. The lynch-pin for KCT, Phase II was obtaining the USACE Dept of Army permit for which it took over five (5) years to obtain. Since 2010 the Harbors Division has worked closely with the Hawai’i Harbors User Group (HHUG). HHUG represents 25 key maritime stakeholders that have supported raising their fees and two bond sales to fund over $665 million in project costs associated with KCT and other key statewide improvements identified in ACT 200 - needed to modernize Hawaii’s aging commercial harbors system.
“The Kapalama Container Terminal project is especially exciting because it will add much needed docking and cargo space that will increase efficiency for harbor users, help reduce traffic around Honolulu Harbor, and address sealevel concerns for the facility,” said
The KCT, Phase II project, designed by Moffatt & Nichol, has been awarded on October 13, 2020 to Kiewit Infrastructure West who will complete the cornerstone project for the Harbors Modernization Plan. The project is the largest capital improvement project in Hawaii harbors history. It will increase operational efficiency, provide better resiliency of critical maritime infrastructure, and significantly reduce traffic on surrounding roadways. “This project is proceeding at a critical time when our state needs it most as we continue fighting COVID-19 and its impacts,” said Gov. David Ige. “The work will be performed by local talent and
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See KAPALAMA CONTAINER TERMINAL page 15
