Honolulu is starting emergency repairs on a crumbling retaining wall in the Punchbowl area — good news for a long-neglected stretch of sidewalk, bad news for drivers and walkers for the next five months.

• Crews are shoring up a wall between Pele and Miller streets that heavy rain and recent storms left unstable.
• The work also rebuilds a badly broken sidewalk that residents have complained about for years.
• Expect contraflow and traffic delays on a tight, busy street, weekdays from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.
• The sidewalk will be closed during the work, pushing people to the other side of the street, where there is no sidewalk at all.
• A large tree on the stretch is being removed as part of the project.

Outlook: Drivers and pedestrians should plan extra time through the area into early next year, when the new sidewalk and reinforced wall are due to be finished.