Shannon & Wilson served as geotechnical consultant for two design-build contracts: the West O'ahu/Farrington Highway Guideway, and the Kamehameha Highway Guideway-which form the initial 10.8 miles of the elevated guideway's 20-mile system.

Variable subsurface conditions along the rail line alignment impacted the guideway foundation's design and construction. As an Alternative Technical Concept, the team designed the drilled shafts to utilize post-grouting tips, which increased each shaft's base resistance in granular layers.  Using post-grouted shafts reduced the penetrations of drilled shafts installed in areas with numerous cobbles and boulders. This innovation decreased construction duration and risks per shaft, and saved the client approximately $10 million.