Kalihi residents are relieved that a particularly bumpy section of Kamehameha IV Road will soon be smooth for the first time in several years.

Starting today, the Board of Water Supply will repave all four lanes between Kini and School streets, Board of Water Supply spokeswoman Su Shin said.

The water agency had been working to install 5,400 feet of pipeline in that area since 2004.

The project was delayed several times because water lines needed to be realigned and redesigned to accommodate other underground utility lines, Shin said.

Now that the work is done, the repaving can finally begin.

Residents have complained for years about the road, which is pocked with holes and patched with metal plates.

"As far as I can remember, it's always been that way," said Rob Tomas, a Kalihi Valley Neighborhood Board member who grew up in the area. "I stay away from that road nowadays."

Tomas said the road is dangerous both because of the plates' sharp corners, which have damaged neighbors' tires, and because people swerve to avoid the bad spots.

During the installation, heavy traffic was funneled from four lanes to two, making the street difficult to navigate, especially for buses and other large vehicles.

Even the two open lanes "were horrendous to drive on," said William Woods-Bateman, chairman of the neighborhood board, which repeatedly voiced its concerns about the road to the city and the Board of Water Supply.

"The Kalihi police station is down the road from there, so I would not be surprised if they put in a request to get it done, too," Woods-Bateman said.

Shin said the repaving will take about two weeks, weather permitting and not including holidays.

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