"We recognized that any project, especially of this magnitude, is going to have an impact on communities," said Board of Water Supply spokeswoman Su Shin. "We want to get out there early and let people know what is going on and to get feedback and input early on."

The sewer line work involves installing a "cured in place" resin pipe inside a 36-inch sewer main that runs under the center of Kapi'olani Boulevard from Kalakaua Avenue to Kamake'e Street. The existing line was installed in 1923 and needs repair, according to the city Department of Design and Construction.

Craig Inouye, owner of Quiksilver, said the street has been torn up for the past decade. He wants area businesses and residents to be more involved in the planning process.

Chester Koga, with consultant R.M. Towill Corp., said work will go on around the clock, except for breaks for morning and afternoon rush hour traffic.

He said residents will be told in advance when construction will take place near their homes and that noise levels will be restricted at night.

"We don't want anyone being surprised when the tractors pull up in January, Koga said.

By coordinating the two projects, the city hopes to cut more than a year off the construction time. Two lanes of Kapi'olani are expected to be closed during the project, Koga said.

Emergency work was done on Kapi'olani Boulevard from July to October 2004 on three segments of the main that were in the worst condition.

The sewer work will restore the rest of the main and will not duplicate the work that was done last year. The planned project is expected to extend the life of the main for 50 years or more. Use of the cured-in-place pipe makes it unnecessary to expose the entire length of the main, because the work will be performed from the sewer manholes.

The sewer work is divided into eight separate projects costing more than $5.5 million.

The water project involves installation of a water main to replace the 70-year-old main under Kapi'olani for roughly the same stretch as the sewer project. Twelve-inch mains will be installed using open-trench construction. In addition, a water main will be installed to replace the old main along Atkinson Drive, and accessible curb ramps will be built.

Portions of Kamake'e Street, Atkinson Drive and Kalakaua Avenue will be affected by the combined project.

The project will be suspended from Nov. 20, 2006, to Jan. 2, 2007, to ease disruptions to the public from Thanksgiving through the Christmas and New Year's holidays.