Crews finish repaving Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki

It took about six months longer than expected and some $2.4 million in added costs, but Waialae Avenue has been fully repaved, bringing an end to the bumpy drive through Kaimuki.

Work to reconstruct parts of the road and repave the major thoroughfare for the first time in some 24 years shut down lanes and left the roadway a rumbling mess for roughly the past year and a half, often frustrating nearby residents.

Crews have painted temporary striping, and city officials said permanent road striping will begin later this month and include “sharrows” — painted arrows along the street shoulder for bicyclists to share the road.

The project’s contract was originally $9.3 million, but with extra costs, the repair project exceeded its 10 percent contingency, according to city officials. 

The Waialae Avenue project to revamp the road from around 1st Avenue to the H-1 Freeway was originally set to end in December 2013. However, after workers discovered sinkholes and “soft spots” below the surface, the contractor was given until the end of June 2014 and city officials later acknowledged it could take even longer to finish.