Honolulu has received the green light from U.S. 9th Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima to proceed with construction of its $5.26 billion rail project. However, the city cannot begin work on the project's phase four until it reconsiders options to the planned downtown routes. "The judge's ruling allows us to complete the remaining work requested by the court, while keeping the project on schedule ... Oahu residents can look forward to seeing their rail system fully operational in 2019 as planned," said Dan Grabauskas, executive director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.