Officials with the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDoT) celebrated earlier this month the conclusion of Phase 1 of the Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT) project and its procession into Phase 2.

“KCT Phases 1 & 2 are the centerpiece of the Harbor Modernization Program, which developed capital improvement projects to meet the needs of the shipping industry in partnership with HDOT, the Hawaii State Legislature, and the Hawaii Harbor Users Group (HHUG). KCT Phase 1 was completed on schedule and as budgeted with a cost of $174 million,” the Department wrote in a press release.

According to an unrelated 2014 report from Hawaii’s DoT, “Hawaii’s economy is far more dependent on its harbors than any other state… Hawaii imports 80 percent of all of its consumed goods, with 98 percent of that entering the state through the commercial harbor system.”

“As the state’s port of entry for nearly all of its imported goods, Honolulu Harbor handles over 11 million tons of cargo annually,” the report states.

“The need for expansion and investment in Honolulu Harbor has been recognized for decades,” Hawaii Governor David Ige said. “Without vibrant, efficient harbors we would have a hard time enjoying life in Hawaii as we know it. I was a senator when the basic modernization plan was approved, and I’m proud that when fully completed in 2024, this approximately half billion-dollar project will increase cargo capacity by 40-percent and ensures our communities can be served in a more efficient way.”

The HDOT press release continues “Phase 2 was awarded in late 2020 for $352.5 million and will feature an 18.5-acre container yard, 1863 linear feet of additional berthing capacity, dredging of the waterfront and harbor channel, widening of Piers 40 and 41 for wider inter-island vessels, reconstruction of Pier 41, and structural improvements to Pier 40 to support roll-on/roll-off cargo operations.”

Kiewit, ranked number four on Contractor News’ list of biggest construction companies in 2021, secured the contract for Phase 2 of the project.

In total, the project is expected to be completed in January 2024 at a cost of $555 million.

The ongoing work on the Honolulu Harbor plays a large part in the currently thriving construction industry in the state, an anomaly in the US as the coronavirus pandemic has forced a myriad of operations to shut down.