HONOLULU (KHON2) — The recent discovery of historic streetcar tracks under Kapiolani Boulevard during a repaving project has uncovered a forgotten chapter of Honolulu’s history.
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Hawaiian Railway Society historian Jeff Livingston believes the streetcar tracks are literally a path to the past, when streetcars defined the daily lives of Honolulu residents and fueled the city’s development.
“The HRT was electrified and it was a people mover. They took people from point A to point B in the city, all the way to Diamond Head and on to Fort Shafter,” Livingston said.
The Honolulu Rapid Transit company launched its electric streetcar system in 1901, replacing the horse-drawn carriages.
The trams were a large, thriving business, but eventually they were replaced by buses in 1941 and all the trams were burned.
“No one was saved. The steel parts were saved as scrap and sold,” Livingston explains.
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The city’s $11 million repaving project on Kapiolani Boulevard is on hold, while the Department of Design and Construction and the state’s Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) are still working on a plan on what to do with the recently exposed traces found in mid-September.
“It’s not really up to us. We must work with SHPD to find the best solution,” said Haku Milles, director of the Department of Design and Construction.
SHPD said it cannot comment on what options they are considering at this time, but Livingston said the streetcars, like the rail line, tell a broader story about Oahu’s development.
“History is important. Everyone thinks of sugar, they think of pineapple. Without the railroad, neither of these two industries could have grown as they have,” Livingston said. “And the trams also played a role. They moved people, supplies, equipment and building materials. They all helped build Honolulu and Oahu into what it is today.”
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If the tracks are in good condition, Livingston said the Hawaiian Railway Society would accept it as part of the museum they hope to build.
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