A project to transform a busy Kailua intersection into a roundabout is finally done.

City officials Thursday held a blessing to mark the completion of the Kalapawai Roundabout at Kalaheo Avenue and Kailua Road. It took three years and cost an estimated $11 million due to numerous hurdles and delays.

The new roundabout includes new sidewalks, raised crosswalks and signs, innovative stormwater drainage features and, at the center of it all, a newly landscaped island featuring a significant banyan tree planted in 1954.

“This is a long-awaited piece of — yes, it’s infrastructure — but I also think we look at it as building for livability in our community,” said Jon Nouchi, deputy director of the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, at the blessing. “The road here may have been lo

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