HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The recent discovery of historic streetcar tracks beneath Kapiolani Boulevard during a repaving project has unearthed a forgotten chapter of Honolulu's history. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Hawaiian Railway Society historian Jeff Livingston believes the street car tracks are literally a path to the past, when streetcars shaped the daily lives of Honolulu's residents and fueled the city's development. "The HRT was electrified, and it was a people mover. They got people from point A to point B within the city, out as far as Diamond Head and over as far as Fort Shafter," said Livingston. The Honolulu Rapid Transit company launched its electric streetcar system in 1901, replacing the horse-drawn carriages. The streetcars were a large, thriving operation, but they eventually were replaced by buses in 1941 and all the streetcars were burned. "None were saved. The steel parts were kept for scrap and sold," explained Livingston. Hawaii’s Unsolved Murders: Kallen Agliam The city's $11 million repaving project on Kapiolani Boulevard is on hold while the Department of Design and Construction and the state's Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) are still working on a plan on what to do with the recently uncovered tracks found in mid September. "It's not really up to us. We need to work with SHPD to come up with the best solution," said Haku Milles, Director of the Department of Design and Construction. SHPD said it's not able to comment on what options they are considering at this time, but Livingston said the streetcars, like the railway, tell a broader story of Oahu's development. "History is important. Everybody thinks about sugar, they think about pineapple. Without the railroad, neither of those two industries could have grown to the point that they did," said Livingston. "And the streetcars also played their part. They moved people, supplies, equipment, building materials. They all helped build Honolulu and Oahu into what it is today." Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news If the tracks are in decent shape, Livingston said the Hawaiian Railway Society would accept it as part of the museum they hope to build.