The long-anticipated widening of Fort Weaver Road is slated to begin no later than August, state Department of Transportation officials told about 50 'Ewa and 'Ewa Beach residents last night at a community meeting.

The $59 million project will widen the area's main traffic artery from four lanes to six, and take an estimated two years. Initially slated to begin in late 2005, the project was stalled because a design contractor went bankrupt, so the state had to start over.

The project will be done in three phases. The first will widen Fort Weaver Road from Laulaunui Street to the Child & Family Service facility about a mile down the road. The second phase will extend the width south to a point just beyond Geiger Road. The third phase includes construction of a pedestrian bridge across Honouliuli Stream.

On-road work will run weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Traffic lanes will be closed only for utility-line work.

Several 'Ewa residents expressed a desire to see a more permanent median strip to discourage motorists from driving through to make U-turns. DOT officials said they intend to raise the shoulder of the curb to 6 inches and will consider a suggestion made last night to put a more permanent barrier in place.

Gene Leong, a West Loch resident, questioned the need to lower the speed limit from the current 45 mph to 35 mph. Ishikawa said that's necessary on a six-lane road to allow enough time for pedestrians to cross.

Elisa Ragasa, a Honouliuli resident for three decades, said she's seen the traffic grow increasingly worse. Motorists often try to bypass the "new" Fort Weaver Road by taking a detour along Old Fort Weaver Road where she lives. "It's very busy," she said.

Warren Taylor, an 'Ewa By Gentry resident, said he's relieved the road-widening is one of several improvements planned for the area, noting that North-South Road and the extension of Kapolei Parkway are to be completed in the coming years.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.