Just a few hours after Toru Hamayasu told the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board that he expected final design approval from the Federal Transit Administration soon, the green light came.

In a letter dated Thursday, the FTA said Honolulu “has automatic pre-award authority to incur costs for final design activities, demolition, and other non-construction activities such as the procurement of rails, ties, commodities, and other specialized equipment.”

Full letter and more details coming soon.