City crews finished taking up the last portion of temporary bypass sewer line and barricades along Ala Wai Boulevard yesterday, restoring about 35 parking spaces, a bike lane and the sidewalk.

The 750-foot section of large pipes and equipment was the last very visible reminder on the thoroughfare of the March 2006 Waikiki sewer line break. The break sent some 50 million gallons of wastewater into the canal and triggered a $45 million repair and replacement project to ensure the city would have a backup for carrying sewage out of Waikiki if the system ever fails again.

But the removal of the pipes isn't the last Waikiki residents will see of the project. Later this year, the city will put out to bid work to replace the 5,000-foot-long temporary sewer line on the floor of the canal with a permanent line.

The temporary line was installed in summer 2006 to pump sewage out of Waikiki, while allowing the 42-inch pipe that ruptured to act as an emergency backup. It's unclear whether the new project will again affect traffic and parking on the Ala Wai.

That project is expected to cost about $50 million.

Russ Takara, deputy director of the city Department of Design and Construction, said the most important part of the project is to make sure the lines work as part of the system to make sure a similar spill never happens again.

The Ala Wai spill — actually an intentional release to prevent sewage from backing up into residences and businesses — was the largest recorded in the state's history, and closed beaches, prompted health concerns and sent paddlers fleeing from canal waters.

On Tuesday, crews started removing the big pipes and equipment on the Ala Wai, between Lewers Street and Seaside Avenue, and wrapped up about 3 p.m. yesterday. The pipes and equipment were around-the-clock fixtures on the Ala Wai, forcing bikers to ride with traffic and pedestrians to cross the street because the sidewalk on the canal side was closed.

The city removed a similar section of above-ground piping and sewer equipment on Ala Wai Boulevard in October, between Walina Street and Seaside Avenue. The pipes and equipment went up in July 2006 on a five-block stretch of Ala Wai Boulevard and were needed to pump sewage out of Waikiki through a pipeline in the Ala Wai Canal, but now other pipes are being used for that.

Residents are happy to see the big, black pipes on the Ala Wai go.

"I think it's a great improvement," said Richard Personius, a Waikiki Neighborhood Board member who lives on the Ala Wai and sometimes rides his bike on the busy street. "It will make a big difference for the community."