The city is seeking bids for a $10 million project to rehabilitate sewer lines from Kahala to Niu Valley as part of an effort to increase system capacity and decrease the chance of wastewater spills in the area.

Work on the project is expected to kick off in September, and drivers along Kalaniana'ole Highway should be prepared for periodic lane closures. The project is expected to take about a year and a half, during which crews will re-line 7,400 feet of 24- and 30-inch sewer pipe and 1,700 feet of 8- and 10-inch pipe.

Another 11,800 feet of sewer line will be cleaned.

Additionally, crews will replace manholes and other sewer components.

The work is meant to address an aging sewer infrastructure in the area. Inspections of the lines have found serious deficiencies, officials said, including corrosion and cracks. City Department of Design and Construction deputy director Collins Lam said the project is meant to increase capacity and improve flow.

The work will also help reduce the risk of sewage spills, he said.

The project comes on the heels of a sewer rehabilitation project along Kalaniana'ole Highway, from Hawai'i Loa Ridge to Niu Valley. That work, which wrapped up in late 2007, installed a new sewer line to replace a temporary above-ground emergency bypass line that was running along the highway.

Lam said the new project will involve little trench work. Instead, crews will rehabilitate the lines using a "cure-in-place" method that cuts down on disruptions to traffic. Still, the project is expected to spur some closures and other traffic delays.

It's not yet clear whether the work will be during the day or night.