Honolulu's 40-year flirtation with a major mass transit system became an outright affair yesterday afternoon, as Mayor Mufi Hannemann joyfully signed Bill 79 at a celebration at Kapolei Hale — putting into motion what may ultimately become one of the largest, most expensive public works projects in the history of Hawai'i.

"This is a great day," said the mayor, who, with the stroke of a large, black Montblanc fountain pen scrawled his name on the official document.

"We are now on the cusp of moving forward on a system that is going to dramatically improve our quality of life."

Hannemann told the 70-some people present that the multi-billion transit system would be but one part of an "integrated, multi-modal system."

"TheBus system will be enhanced and expanded," he said. "We're going to launch this year a ferry system from west O'ahu into town. We're going to continue those improvements on our roads for those who are still going to want to use their vehicles.

"But we're also going to have more bike paths. We're going to have more walkable lanes. ... Those are the kinds of things I'm excited about."

Whatever transit system is ultimately built will be a "fixed guideway system" — meaning it could end up traveling on rubber tires instead of steel wheels. Still, several speakers present, including the mayor, let the R-word slip.

"All of you who were for rail, who were for mass transit, who want to see this happen, I want to thank you," said Hannemann.

The City Council has designated a fixed-guideway mass-transit line running from Kalaeloa to Manoa, with a branch to Waikiki. Extending more than 30 miles at a cost of about $5 billion, the designation is essentially a wish list of where officials would like to see the transit line go, if funds to build the entire route become available. It includes different options for routes through West O'ahu and the Salt Lake-Honolulu Airport areas, allowing the city administration to take more time to determine which ones — or all of them — to build.

Yesterday, appreciation was the main thing the mayor had come to express. He devoted most of the brief signing ceremony to it.

"There's lots of credits and kudos to go around," he said, and then went on to thank the City Council, state Legislature, six west O'ahu neighborhood boards, members of his administration, and various union and business organizations for their support.

He pledged "to the state Legislature and the state government in general and the Lingle administration that we will do everything we can to prove that this is indeed a very worthy step and one that was needed."

Then, with the same pen he had used to sign the bill, the mayor carefully affixed his signature to 16 souvenir copies of the ordinance and personally handed them out to three key City Council supporters — Romy Cachola, Nestor Garcia, and Rod Tam — and several legislators, as well as representatives of each of the six west O'ahu neighborhood boards.

"I can't believe it," blurted out Maeda Timson, chairwoman of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board as the mayor put his name to her copy. "Make sure it's permanent ink."

Later, Timson dashed off to Chili's restaurant with several of her fellow neighborhood board members to celebrate.

"I can't tell you how happy I am — it's just such an exciting thing," she shouted, pausing to praise the moment as one that will be remembered as greatly beneficial to future generations, and chastising transit naysayers for being short-sighted.

If there were any naysayers present, they apparently held their tongues.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.