Roughly 700 columns are planned to go up along the 20-mile route

By Shayne Enright

 UPDATED 3:27 AM HST Jun 11, 2012

It is the first of roughly 700 support columns planned for the 20-mile rail transit system.

The column stands 23-feet-tall and is six feet in diameter.

"After 40 years and all of the starts and stop it looks like beauty personified," said Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle. "This is absolutely and unequivocally our future staring us in the face."

For the first phase, from East Kapolei to Pearl City, three columns are expected to spring up every week.

The Honolulu Authority for Rail Transportation said it is staying on track.

It took four truckloads of concrete to fill an oversized cast to mold the concrete.

Then after hardening for a week, engineers revealed the column.

"I wonder if they are going to have a ceremony to take it down," said rail opponent Cliff Slater.

Slater said the concrete column is anchored in prime farmland.

"They are putting concrete pillars up in the middle of the finest agricultural land," said Slater.

Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit accuse the city of violating federal environmental, historic preservation and transportation laws.

"It just says if you haven't done all your homework you haven't looked at all or alternative routes and alternative technology then you're at fault," Slater said.

However, the project's top official said his confidence is not rattled by the future's uncertainty.

"We believe we did everything by the book and we hope that the judge will concur and at this point given what we got we believe we are in good place to move forward," said HART CEO Dan Grabauskas.

The city stated it will cost less to tear down the columns then for crews to stop to wait for the court's decision.

The final hearing is scheduled for August.