City officials are moving forward with plans to extend Makakilo Drive, a long-awaited project that would provide a second roadway outlet for the community of nearly 18,250 residents.

City Department of Transportation Services Director Mike Formby said officials expect the final design to be completed in 2017 or 2018, with construction slated for 2018 or 2019. He projects construction will span a minimum of three years.

But starting construction will depend on the allocation of federal and city funding. The bulk of funding is currently being used to build the city’s Joint Traffic Management Center, a six-agency collaboration to improve traffic management and public-safety coordination islandwide.

After that project is completed in 2017, Formby said, the 1-mile extension would likely compete with two other major projects for funding. Those projects are the widening of Farrington Highway and Salt Lake Boulevard, he said.

"I understand that the sentiment of the community is to have this road built," Formby told members of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board at a meeting Wednesday. "It is the position of my department that we would like to facilitate that."

The consultant hired by the city to manage the design and planning of the project, which would provide an alternate route to access the H-1, estimates that construction costs would total about $75 million in 2018.

Craig Luke, project manager at R.M. Towill Corp., said they were able to "drastically" reduce construction costs by changing a previous design that included a bridge, replacing it with embankments that would be filled in to provide a similar capacity, slope and route to the road, equipped with two lanes each way.

Construction of a second roadway outlet is expected to ease the traffic burden along the road, according to an environmental assessment drafted in 2010.

Construction costs several years ago were initially estimated at $85 million,which Luke said would have likely increased to about $108 million.Additionally, design costs will total about $6 million.

For several years, residents have pleaded with officials to extend the road for the growing Makakilo community, where drivers navigate up and down the hilly 3-mile road to access their homes.

"It has become a top priority for this administration," said Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the area. "They only have one way in and out. So this really is a safety issue."

Allocating funding typically depends on the readiness of a project for construction when those dollars become available, Formby said, adding that he believes the Farrington Highway project may not be ready in time. The extension would then likely compete with the widening of Salt Lake Boulevard for funds.

The project’s next steps include addressing land ownership issues with D.R. Horton, the University of Hawaii and Grace Pacific LLC; continuing the design process; and presenting the plans to the community for public input, Formby said. Officials also will have to conduct a supplemental environmental assessment due to the design change.

While neighborhood board members applauded efforts to move forward with the project, with Chairwoman Evelyn Souza referring to it as a "breath of fresh air," they emphasized the critical need to continue with the process.

"Our problem here is we only have one road coming from above," said board member Jack Legal. "I’m really happy that we’re getting serious about this project."