The state plans to begin resurfacing the last rough stretch of Nimitz Highway by next summer, the Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

The project will cover three miles of Nimitz Highway and Ala Moana used by up to 80,000 vehicles a day. It includes the part of the highway from Fort Street in downtown Honolulu to Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, DOT Director Rod Haraga said.

The announcement comes as the state is finishing nearly two years of work on other portions of Nimitz Highway, including the creation of a new morning contraflow lane and resurfacing of the roadway from Sand Island Road to downtown Honolulu. The state also is continuing to study the possibility of building a two-lane, reversible elevated "flyover" above the highway to help ease congestion on the road.

"By the end of the year, we'll wrap up resurfacing Nimitz Highway between the airport and downtown, so now we want to take the repaving all the way to Waikiki," Haraga said. "Our roads are the first impression Hawai'i visitors will have of our state while heading into Waikiki."

Most of the work will be done at night if the state Health Department grants a permit, DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa said.

The new work is tentatively scheduled to begin next summer and take about nine months to complete. Officials do not yet know how much it will cost.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.