City officials broke ground Monday on the final 0.7-mile section of the six-lane Kapolei Parkway that will connect 'Ewa and Kapolei, as well as the H-1 Freeway.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and others picked up shovels and turned dirt at the intersection of Kapolei Parkway and Renton Road in 'Ewa Villages. On the other end of the dirt section is an already-built section of the parkway in Kapolei at North-South Road near the new Department of Hawaiian Home Lands headquarters.

Section 8C, the part dedicated Monday, is costing $4.2 million and is expected to be completed by the end of next year, said Eugene Lee, the city's director of design and construction.

Both the Kapolei Parkway extension and North-South Road are expected to open at the same time, creating a new route to the freeway via a yet-to-be constructed H-1 interchange at North-South Road.