A major sewer and water main replacement project that has disrupted traffic on Kapi'olani Boulevard for more than two years has been substantially completed, and final repaving work is under way, Mayor Mufi Hannemann said.

"Mahalo to everyone for their patience during this project," Hannemann said in a news release issued by his office. "Repairing and replacing our long-neglected infrastructure is crucial to protecting public health and safety, and I'm very pleased that this major project is now nearing final completion. We are steadily making progress on all the infrastructure work that should have been done years ago."

The project included rehabilitation of sewer lines that have been in place since 1923 and water mains that were installed in 1935.

Kapi'olani Boulevard has already been repaved between Ward Avenue and Kamake'e Street, and work will continue along Kapi'olani to Kalakaua Avenue on weeknights until Thanksgiving.

After the holidays shutdown period, crews will return in January to complete striping and placement of traffic detection loops. At that time, Atkinson Drive and Kalakaua Avenue will be repaved.

The project began in July 2006. Total cost was approximately $29 million.

Additionally, sewer work is ongoing along Kalakaua Avenue between Kapi'olani Boulevard and the Ala Wai Canal Bridge, and is expected to be completed by mid-November.

The city's capital improvement program for the current fiscal year is $955 million, with a significant part of the money spent locally and benefiting contractors, construction workers, architects, engineers, planners, suppliers and other construction-related businesses, according to the news release.

Among the spending is $245 million for sewer-related projects, $77 million for road repaving, $4.2 million for a Middle Street intermodal transportation center, $6.7 million for the Joint Traffic Management Center, $5.1 million for a traffic signal maintenance facility, $4 million in improvements to police and fire facilities, $8.5 million for the East Kapolei and 'Ewa Beach fire stations and $24 million for parks improvements.