All lanes along Kapi'olani Boulevard will reopen by Thanksgiving Day, in time for the start of the holiday shopping rush.

The city will suspend its two-year sewer and water line replacement project on the busy thoroughfare through mid-January. With no 24-hour lane closures along sections of Kapi'olani, contraflow lanes during peak hours will return Friday morning and drivers will be allowed to turn left in places that were blocked off.

In addition to the suspension of the Kapi'olani work, the city announced yesterday that there will be no lane closures Friday on thoroughfares islandwide.

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. And this year streets are expected to be even more jammed on Friday with people heading to Aloha Stadium for the sold-out UH football game.

After Friday, the city said, road work islandwide — except the Kapi'olani project — will resume through Dec. 17, and then non-emergency lane closures for busy streets will be put on hold until after Jan. 1.

Businesses along Kapi'olani are rejoicing at the work stoppage.

They say the roadwork has scared many customers off, and the businesses are looking forward to sales picking up again.

Pro Am Golf, at 1159 Kapi'olani Blvd., saw a 15 percent to 20 percent dip in sales during the roadwork, said owner Nathan Yoshioka.

"It's just tough," he said. "You cannot recover everything."

The $32 million sewer and water line project on Kapi'olani Boulevard started in September 2006, and also was suspended during the previous holiday season. The work, which extends from Ward Avenue to Kalakaua Avenue on Kapi'olani, will be completed in summer 2008.

This is the second time businesses along Kapi'olani Boulevard have had to contend with a spate of 24-hour lane closures and traffic backups. In 2004, the city kicked off a four-month project to repair segments of the same sewer line under Kapi'olani Boulevard.

Over the course of the two projects, Yoshioka said, he has lost more than $100,000 in sales. He said he'd like the city to help businesses affected by the roadwork with tax breaks or other aid.

At a news conference yesterday to announce the Kapi'olani Boulevard work stoppage, Mayor Mufi Hannemann said the project is a necessary inconvenience.

"The longer we delay, the more we pay," Hannemann said. "This is work that has to be done."

But he added that the holiday break should help businesses and shoppers alike as more people get on the road to buy gifts.

"You'll be able to have much more convenient and easier access," he said.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.