HONOLULU (AP) — The company with a key role in managing Honolulu’s $5.26 billion rail project is now a subsidiary of the contractor that will design the first three stations.
HDR Engineering Inc. announced it acquired InfraConsult LLC, a program manager for the project, for an undisclosed price. InfraConsult is an infrastructure management and advisory firm with offices in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Hawaii. It now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of HDR.
InfraConsult staff members have been essentially embedded within the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, sharing office space with city workers and overseeing contractors to make sure the project is properly designed and built, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday (http://ow.ly/c2wsQ ).
HDR has a $5.5 million contract to design the West Loch, Waipahu and Leeward Community College stations. It is also program manager for Honolulu’s wastewater consent decree compliance program and the engineer for the HIPOWER waste-to-energy plant’s expansion. HDR is also consultant to Hawaiian Electric Co., and Hawaii serves as the base for the company’s Department of Defense activities in the Pacific Rim.
“InfraConsult provides outstanding program and financial management advisory services, and is supporting clients on some of the world’s most complex transportation and transit projects,” said Eric Keen, HDR president.
Daniel Grabauskas, executive director of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, said the ownership change won’t affect rail construction and a plan is in place so no InfraConsult employee will have direct oversight over HDR or the contract.
“HDR has also informed HART that it will not compete for any future contracts associated with the rail project,” he said.
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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com
