City & County Of Honolulu

The City & County of Honolulu, operating through its Department of Transportation Services Public Transit Division, is a recipient of federal grants for public transit capital and operating funding, transit-oriented development planning, and pedestrian and roadway safety improvements. Structured as a U.S. local government entity based in Honolulu, Hawaii, the division receives all federal awards as a prime grant recipient and does not sub-allocate funds to other entities. The division does not hold federal contracts or IDVs; its federal footprint consists entirely of formula and project grants from the Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and related transit and transportation programs.

The Department of Transportation Services' grant capability spans vehicle fleet replacement and modernization, fixed guideway rail project delivery, intermodal connectivity infrastructure, safety engineering for high-injury roadway locations, and transit operations during public health emergencies. Representative recent work includes a $54.5 million Federal Transit Formula Grant (CFDA 20.507) awarded July 15, 2025, funding procurement of replacement transit vehicles, construction and installation of battery electric charging infrastructure at the Middle Street Bus Terminal, and staff training for FTA-related operations; a $23.932 million Formula Grant awarded December 21, 2024, for construction of a bike and pedestrian bridge over Kamehameha Highway connecting economically disadvantaged communities to the Waiawa Pearl Highlands Rail Station; a $25 million Formula Grant awarded September 12, 2024, for utility relocation and roadwork supporting Segment III of the Honolulu Rail Transit Project from East Kapolei Station through Civic Center Station; and a $1.11 million Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Project Grant (CFDA 20.939) awarded September 15, 2025, for targeted infrastructure and safety improvements at high-injury locations throughout Honolulu.

The Federal Transit Administration dominates the funding landscape, accounting for 111 of 168 recent awards in the source dataset. Combined obligated dollars across all awards reach $17.57 billion, reflecting the scale of multi-year rail transit and fleet modernization initiatives, though combined potential value on remaining obligations reads at $1.1 million. The Department of the Army holds 48 recent awards; the Army Installation Management Command Pacific Region lists $1.1 million in combined potential value across two awards, suggesting primarily in-kind facility or utility support rather than capital grant work. Activity has been steady over the past five years — five awards in 2022, seven in 2023, eleven in 2024, five in 2025, and one in 2026 — with seven awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and facing potential recompete or renewal application cycles.

The division's primary capability is as operator and planner of Oahu's multimodal transit system. Grants fund the Honolulu Rail Transit Project (a 20-mile grade-separated fixed-guideway system from East Kapolei to the Civic Center with 21 stations and 80 light-metro vehicles), bus and paratransit fleet replacement and electrification, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity around new rail stations, transit-oriented development planning in the Iwilei-Kapalama neighborhood anchored by Stations 15 and 16, and safety planning for roadway corridors serving all users. The division received American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) operating assistance grants totaling $161.2 million in FY 2021 Section 5307 funds to sustain transit service during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recovery period. As a sub-recipient on one Federal Highway Administration pedestrian safety grant (awarded October 1, 2024, by the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation), the division conducts community outreach, purchases safety visibility materials, and coordinates attendance at pedestrian safety training and conferences, focusing on vulnerable populations during Hawaii's pedestrian safety month.