In an effort to fuel job creation and address traffic congestion, James Campbell Co. officials are embarking on a $50 million project to widen and reconstruct Kalaeloa Boulevard in Kapolei.

The main feeder to Kapolei Business Park and Campbell Industrial Park, an estimated 40,000 vehicles motor along the boulevard each weekday.

Improvements spanning Lauwiliwili to Malakole streets are slated for completion in 2018. The project will also include construction of a new Kalaeloa Wastewater Pump Station and sewer system. Work on the pump station started about three weeks ago, and officials said they have obtained a notice to proceed with road construction.

“Transportation is the key to economic growth,” said Richard Dahl, president and CEO of the James Campbell Co., at a ceremony held Tuesday near Campbell Industrial Park. “The road itself will certainly facilitate the movement of people.”

Officials said when construction is underway, two lanes in the peak-hour directions will remain open while one lane will be open in the opposite direction. Dahl acknowledged the possibility of “a great amount of inconvenience” while crews close lanes during roadwork, but pointed out that the project needs to be done now.

Upon the project’s completion, the company, which currently owns Kalaeloa Boulevard, will dedicate the road and the pump station to the city.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell said after Tuesday’s ceremony that he is confident his administration will maintain and continue to improve the road, pointing out that it is his priority to develop core infrastructure islandwide.

“As long as I’m mayor … there is a commitment to maintain our roads better. It’s a way we thrive on this island,” Caldwell said. “This needs to be done. You see the business that goes up and down this road. To say status quo, leave it as it is, that’s not moving forward. We’re moving forward.”

The James Campbell Co., a Hawaii-based real estate corporation, operates two divisions, including Kapolei Properties LLC, which is focused on development in the Kapolei area.

The company’s properties include Kapolei Shopping Center, Crossroads at Kapolei, Kapolei Commons and Kapolei Entertainment Center, as well as the Kapolei Business Park and Campbell Industrial Park. Officials said the area hosts about 350 businesses.

Company officials said they have so far invested more than $210 million in infrastructure improvements in Kapolei. In 2013 the city also completed a $7 million improvement project on Kalaeloa Boulevard.

Evelyn Souza, chairwoman of the Makakilo/ Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board, said the project could help to accommodate the area’s growing population and workers accessing Campbell Industrial Park.

“That would make sense … because all of that area is going to be urban,” Souza said.

But she pointed out that traffic congestion also needs to be addressed near the westbound onramp from Kalaeloa Boulevard heading to Honokai Hale and the Waianae Coast.

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, whose district spans Ewa Beach to Waianae, added that the project could benefit residents islandwide, including those who do not live in Kapolei, but work in the area.

“It’s a long time coming,” Pine said after Tuesday’s ceremony. “When they’re (workers and residents) stuck on the freeway and they get congestion here, too, there’s a lot of frustration for them. The whole entire island is affected by this particular area.”