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The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s project oversight committee has scheduled a special community meeting at 5:30 this afternoon to discuss utility relocation work and the possible impact of planned construction in the city center section of the project. That section runs from the Middle Street Station to the Ala Moana Center Station. It would include four miles of elevated guideways and eight stations.

The agenda includes a period for public comments.

The meeting comes just days after a new federal estimate that the cost of the rail project will balloon to $8.1 billion, about $3 billion more than the original budget. HART has scheduled another special meeting for June 8 to discuss that development, and possibly to discuss alternatives to building the line all the way from West Oahu to Ala Moana. The last four miles are expected to be the most expensive portion of the project.

Today’s meeting will be held at the Mission Memorial Auditorium, 550 South King Street. That’s next to Honolulu Hale. HART representatives also will attend the Pearl City and Ala Moana/Kakaako neighborhood board meetings later in the evening. The Pearl City board meets at 7 p.m. at Waiau District Park, 98-1650 Kaahumanu Street; the Ala Moana/Kakaako board meets at 7 p.m. at Makiki Christian Church, 829 Pensacola Street.

The project oversight committee meeting also will be televised live on Olelo 55 and on