HILO >> Construction of the Pahoa roundabout will begin by the end of the year and possibly by the end of summer, according to state Department of Transportation officials.

The DOT postponed the $5 million project last year while the June 27 lava flow from Kilauea threatened lower Puna. The flow nearest to Pahoa became inactive in March but is still active near the Puu Oo vent, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Tuesday.

DOT public information officer Tim Sakahara said the agency is working with Isemoto Contracting on setting a start date for the roundabout. The project could get underway by August or September at the earliest, he said.

The roundabout will be at the intersection of Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road. Construction will last 180 working days, Sakahara said, and highway traffic would be rerouted during that time.

The lava emerged from a vent last June and entered Pahoa on Oct. 26, when it crossed a country road at the edge of town. Lava covered part of a cemetery and burned down a shed and a house. It also burned tires and some metal materials, but mostly vegetation was in its path.