This week, Honolulu Department of Transportation Services (DTS) Deputy Director Jon Nouchi joins host Brandi Higa on the One O‘ahu Podcast to talk about the mounting deaths on O‘ahu roadways, the next segment of Skyline, and a proposal to change bus routes to utilize those new rail options.
Summer of Safety
As of the recording of this episode of the One O‘ahu Podcast, 43 traffic fatalities were recorded on O‘ahu in 2025 as compared to 19 at the same time in 2024.
“Whenever you’re on a roadway or you’re thinking about getting on a roadway, put yourself in the right frame of mind,” encouraged DTS Deputy Director Nouchi. “Pay attention. Don’t make driving a task you do while you do something else. Get your mind clear. Get your mind set because someone’s life does depend on it. It might be yours.”
Nouchi goes on to challenge our community to turn the second half of this summer into the “Summer of Safety” and end the deadly pattern we’ve seen over the past few months.
Skyline Segment 2
As the City prepares to open four new Skyline stations along five miles of new track on October 1, 2025, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) will begin trial running this month between Kualakaʻi East Kapolei Station and Kahauiki Kalihi Transit Center Station.
“It’s a time for HART to really burn in the trains and the track and the procedures that it takes to maintain safe operations on our rail system in preparation for turning that over to us here at DTS,” explained Nouchi.
During trail operations, multiple trains will be operational and moving along the tracks between Kualakaʻi East Kapolei and Kahauiki Kalihi Transit Center Stations. Testing will occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Changes to TheBus Routes
When Skyline first began carrying passengers for Segment 1, changes were made to TheBus routes to make it easier for passengers to utilize the rail system and get to their destinations more conveniently. The same will happen for Skyline’s Segment 2. Just one of the changes includes a rapid express bus called the “W line.”
“It operates between the airport station and the Lagoon Drive station, and then straight-shots all the way into Ala Moana and Waikīkī along Nimitz Highway,” said Nouchi. “No deviations, nothing out of the way. Exactly as you would drive. And we’re operating that very frequently to match the Skyline frequencies, which comes every ten minutes.”
For the latest on TheBus route changes and Skyline Segment 2, follow DTS on social media:
Facebook: @HNLDTS
Twitter: @hnldts
Instagram: @hnl.dts
YouTube: @Honolulu DTS
