HILO » The state has awarded a $77.2 million contract to Goodfellow Bros. Inc. to design and build the 5.2-mile second and final phase of the widening of congested Queen Kaahumanu Highway north of Kailua-Kona, the state and Goodfellow announced.

Design work will start in April, followed by construction in September, the state said. Completion is expected in 2011, Goodfellow said.

The work involves widening a bottleneck between the heart of Kailua-Kona and Keahole Airport, eight miles to the north. An average of 22,800 vehicles pass through the area each day, often at a crawl.

The work will widen the road from two lanes to four, provide a median strip and improve six intersections with signals.