The state Department of Transportation plans a $16.1 million project to resurface various freeway on- and off-ramps in Mililani and Waipi'o.

Although the majority of the work won't begin until this summer, preparation work is beginning in Mililani, where crews starting tomorrow will close the heavily used Honolulu-bound H-2 Freeway on-ramp from Meheula Parkway during the day for pavement repairs and lane striping. The closure, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, will continue for two weeks, said department spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

The department also plans weekday lane closures at the Meheula Parkway overpass and Kipapa Stream Bridge. The work is expected to begin this month and continue until the summer.

Large segments of the project are scheduled to start this summer.

Crews will close the southbound H-2 on-ramp from Meheula Parkway 24 hours a day for one week in July to repave the area with concrete, which takes time to properly cure, Ishikawa said.

The department chose to resurface the on-ramp with concrete — which is expected to last longer than asphalt — because it is heavily used, Ishikawa said. During the closure, Mililani residents may use the Mililani Mauka H-2 on-ramp or go through Kipapa Gulch on Kamehameha Highway and get on the freeway from there, he said.

Also this summer, the department will repave the H-2 northbound Mililani Mauka off-ramp, which will involve closing the off-ramp over at least a couple of weekends, from late Friday through early Monday, Ishikawa said.

The final phase of the project — resurfacing the Waipi'o H-2 Interchange — is expected to begin in the summer and last through the fall. Closures will be scheduled overnight Sundays through Thursdays to minimize the traffic impact in the area, which is busy during the day from Costco and other nearby businesses, he said.

Crews will also install a right-turn storage lane from the H-2 Honolulu-bound off-ramp to Ka Uka Boulevard.

"We're trying to work around the peak traffic periods," Ishikawa said. "We'll ask the Mililani and Waipi'o Gentry residents for their patience while we get this work done, but I think they're going go to be happy when they drive on a nice, new, smooth surface."