The Hilton Hawaiian Village is spending $9 million to repave Ala Moana boulevard at the entrance to Waikiki, add a fourth lane in the eastbound direction and install decorative lighting and greenery to beautify the area and ease congestion.

The project will wrap up in December, just in time for the opening of the Hilton's newest tower near the end of Ala Moana boulevard, the 38-story Grand Waikikian. Oswaldo Lopez, architecture and construction project director for Hilton Hotels in Hawai'i, said the work will improve traffic flow at the bottleneck.

The work started March 31, and runs on Ala Moana from Holomoana Street to Kalakaua Avenue. The road will be repaved, a fourth eastbound lane on Ala Moana will be added from Hobron Lane to Kalia Road, and left-turn pockets will be lengthened. Portions of sidewalks and driveways will also be reconstructed. And the median will get new greenery.

"The stretch of Ala Moana between Holomoana and Kalakaua is one of the first impressions visitors receive of Waikiki," said Lopez. "The project will greatly enhance this important gateway to Waikiki. Additionally, the beautification will provide a seamless look from Ala Moana onto Kalakaua with the Victorian lampposts."

Scott Ishikawa, state Transportation Department spokesman, said the hotel agreed to make the improvements after requesting changes to the roadway to accommodate increased traffic to the Grand Waikikian.

"It's an example of public-private partnership," he said.

The project comes as the state is in the midst of a massive repaving project of Ala Moana boulevard. Just before Christmas, the state finished repaving Nimitz Highway and Ala Moana from Downtown to Ward Avenue, and crews will resume repaving work on Ala Moana from Ward Avenue to Pi'ikoi Street in a few weeks. The remainder of Ala Moana, from Pi'ikoi to Atkinson Street, will be repaved next year, Ishikawa said.

The Hilton work is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and has resulted in lane closures.

For up-to-date information on the work, call the Hilton project hot line at 948-7600.