ACR PLT QUESTIONED ATC'S CROSSING PROC BEHIND ACFT ON TKOF ROLL AT HCF; CITING POSSIBLE ABORTS IF FLT CREW IS UNSURE OF CROSSING LOCATION.

Narrative

SHORTLY AFTER WE INITIATED OUR TKOF ROLL ON RWY 8L IN HNL; THE TWR CLRED AN ACFT ACROSS OUR RWY. THERE WERE ACFT LNDG ON RWY 4R (AN INTERSECTING RWY); AND ALSO AN ACFT HOLDING SHORT OF OUR RWY MIDFIELD (TXWY G) WAITING TO CROSS. THERE WAS A MOMENT OF CONFUSION BTWN THE CAPT AND I WHETHER THE CTLR SAID '8L;' AND CERTAINLY A BIG CONCERN WITH WHERE THE ACFT WAS XING. THE ACFT READ BACK THE CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS AND WE CONCLUDED IT WAS AN ACFT BEHIND US XING RWY 8L AT TXWY RB; TAXIING TO RWY 8R. IT ALL HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF MOMENTS AND WE WERE FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE ARPT TO KNOW THAT TXWY RB WAS BEHIND US. WE CONTINUED THE TKOF UNEVENTFULLY. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF CLRING AN ACFT ACROSS A RWY BEHIND A DEPARTING ACFT IS AN ACCEPTED PROC. I CAN'T SEE HOW IT COULD BE. WHAT IF WE HADN'T BEEN FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE ARPT LAYOUT TO KNOW THAT THE TXWY THE ACFT WAS USING TO CROSS THE RWY WE ARE ROLLING DOWN WAS BEHIND US? THE CAPT HAD EVERY RIGHT AND WOULD HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED TO REJECT THE TKOF. A REJECTED TKOF HAS ITS OWN SET OF PROBS THAT WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE DEALT WITH. WHAT ABOUT THE MOMENTARY CONFUSION DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT AND THE FACT THAT WE WERE DISTR FROM OUR JOB OF MANAGING THE ACFT ON THE TKOF ROLL?