A new highway plan introduced by mayoral candidate Ann Kobayashi promises to be cheaper than rail, but faces several major financial and political hurdles.

So far, both the state Legislature and Hawai'i's congressional delegation have supported building a rail system in Honolulu. Whether those lawmakers would back Kobayashi's bus plan was not clear yesterday.

Their support could be key to pulling together the $2.5 billion Kobayashi says is needed to build the elevated highway and bus-rapid-transit system she proposed on Tuesday.

The funding hinges on whether the city can use tax revenue currently being collected to fund the rail system on a bus network operating on a non-exclusive, elevated road. The plan also relies on securing federal "earmark" funding, which would have to be championed by Hawai'i's congressional delegation.

That means financing for the bus plan is much more uncertain than the city's current rail project, said Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who will face Kobayashi in a runoff for the mayor's job on Nov. 4.

Hannemann called Kobayashi's plan a "half-baked manapua" compared with the city's plan. At a news conference yesterday, Hannemann said her plan would take longer and cost more to build than the city's planned $3.7 billion elevated commuter rail.

"If the people of Honolulu were to accept the plan that Ann is putting out, we have to go back to square one," he said. "Our (train) project is good to go."

Hannemann also said, "You don't put together a plan that's going to spend over $3 billion in three weeks. This plan of ours was put together and has been vetted, scrutinized and debated for over three years."

Debate over who has the better transit plan is reaching a high-pitch with just three weeks to go before the mayoral election and a separate referendum on rail.

As it stands, most local politicians seem to favor rail, but that could change if residents reject rail at the polls on Nov. 4. On the other hand, Kobayashi has said she would abandon her bus plan if voters approve the rail option.

The Kobayashi plan was assembled in recent weeks in consultation with former mayoral candidate and University of Hawai'i transportation engineering professor Panos Prevedouros. The plan calls for building a three-lane, reversible elevated guideway starting at the H-1/H-2 merge and ending Downtown. The proposed "EzWay" no-toll road would include one bus lane and two lanes for private vehicles with three or more occupants or one-occupant fuel-efficient cars.

Hannemann said Kobayashi's plan would require a change in state law to ensure that transit taxes could be spent on buses. In contrast, Honolulu's rail project is much more likely to get nearly $1 billion in federal funds, he said. Kobayashi and Prevedouros contend there's no guarantee those funds will come through for rail. They contend the EzWay can qualify for state transit taxes and federal funds.

Prevedouros and others who oppose rail argue the train will cost far more than $3.7 billion and won't provide enough traffic relief.

ABERCROMBIE WEIGHS IN

The basis for the rail project comes from the November 2006 Alternatives Analysis, which was prepared by transportation engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff. The report determined that a train reduced traffic congestion and increased public transit ridership more than managed highway lanes. A new elevated highway also would cost more to build and operate in the long term, according to the $10 million study.

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie yesterday reiterated his support for rail and questioned whether the EzWay could qualify for federal funds.

"I have worked hard in the House of Representatives to secure the commitment of my colleagues for at least $900 million in funds for the rail transit project on O'ahu," he said in an e-mail. "The federal money is there, it's only being lost in political rhetoric."

State House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Palolo Valley, Wilhelmina Rise), said it's unclear if the tax revenue being collected by the state for use on the rail project could be spent instead on a new bus/highway system.

If Kobayashi is elected mayor and voters reject the rail plan on Nov. 4, she will need to lobby state and congressional lawmakers to win support for her bus plan.