The state Department of Transportation held a blessing ceremony Wednesday for major improvement projects on Pali Highway that will result in lane shifts this month and full, overnight closures next month.

The $64 million project will repair or replace street lighting from Vineyard Boulevard to Kamehameha Highway and the first phase of resurfacing from Waokanaka Street to Castle Junction. The Pali work is happening in coordination with the Likelike Highway resurfacing project, scheduled for completion in March, and in conjunction with a major city sewer system upgrade, scheduled to begin in June.

“The Pali Highway improvements represent our continued focus on system preservation at the Hawaii Department of Transportation,” said state DOT deputy director for highways Ed Sniffen in a press release. “Coordinating this work with our Likelike Resurfacing project, which is wrapping up in Spring 2018, and the city’s Dowsett Highlands Sewer Relief project will help us minimize impacts to the public as we work to deliver these needed upgrades to the system.”

Motorists can expect the following impacts on traffic:

>> Crews are setting up construction zones, which will result in restriping as the contractor works to remove the grassy medians. Traffic lanes will shift closer toward the median area. Crews are expected to work behind barriers to replace the lighting.

>> In an effort to minimize the impact on traffic, the state transportation department will work to keep three lanes open through Nuuanu during peak travel hours. But drivers should be aware that lanes will be narrowed and shifted in order to maintain the three open lanes.

>> Beginning mid-February, full overnight lane closures are planned for all townbound lanes from Castle Junction (Kamehameha Highway intersection) to Waokanaka from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. every night except for Saturday night. The left lane in the Kailua bound direction will also be closed during those hours. The closures are expected until March 2019.

Electronic message boards will be posted, and special duty police officers will assist with traffic control.

Construction updates will be available at PaliHighway.org, along with a 24/7 hotline at 945-1111.