The state reopened the Sand Island Parkway bridge to full traffic yesterday, ending a 13-month repair project that had some effect on nearly all the products brought into the state.

State workers officially reopened the mauka side of the bridge to traffic at 6 p.m., said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the Department of Transportation.

The $5 million project included replacement of the bridge's metal deck, which was first built more than 40 years ago.

While most Honolulu drivers never noticed the work, almost every commercial truck driver delivering goods to or from the main cargo yards for Honolulu Harbor had to endure some traffic congestion as trucks were detoured onto the makai side of the bridge during the construction.

"The bridge is our island's lifeline for supplies. We'd like to thank the public, particularly the local trucking industry, for using the detour route while we made the repairs," Transportation Director Rod Haraga said.

Ishikawa said the metal grating on the bridge had been deteriorating from the wear and tear of the heavy trucks, forcing the state to close it three times for emergency repairs in the months before it decided to replace it.

The two-lane bridge originally could be raised and lowered to allow boat traffic to pass underneath. In the late 1980s, though, the state permanently sealed the metal bridge and built a new concrete bridge alongside, creating four lanes to accommodate the growing traffic, which now includes more than 2,000 trucks a day.

Attention will now shift to repair work on the concrete side of the bridge. Starting Oct. 24, crews will begin repairs to the bridge's joints. That work will be done only between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., Ishikawa said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.