HONOLULU -- Now that Hawaiian Cement has reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters, construction companies are hoping an Ameron Hawaii settlement is not far behind.

Construction company officials said they are feeling relieved now that the concrete strike appears almost over.

After the strike started, Hawaiian Dredging had to lay off 25 employees. Hawaiian Dredging project director Eric Hashizumi said the Hawaiian Cement's tentative settlement is good news.

"Ameron is providing the concrete for this place. With one settling, (we hope) that the other will follow very closely by, and we are very optimistic about that," Hashizumi said.

Right now, work is creeping along on the $150 million project, with only nine company workers left on the job.

Hawaiian Dredging expected the first phase of the University of Hawaii Medical School to open in July 2005, but now with backlogs caused by the concrete strike, it is not sure exactly when it will open.

Before the 42-day strike started, Hawaiian Dredging said its project was in full swing. Officials say it will take a while to regain that momentum.

"It's a big question whether how soon we can come up to speed. We are looking at maybe a couple of weeks or maybe a month before we can get the proper orders of concrete when we want it," Hashizumi said.

Just up the street, the Hokua luxury apartment site is expected to be Hawaiian Cement's first major cement pour when employees resume work. A.C. Kobayashi had scheduled the 2,000-yard concrete pour just as the concrete workers went on strike. Kobayashi has tried to keep of its employees working on reduced schedules or on other projects that are past the concrete phase.

Smaller construction companies in the home building business have not fared as well.

Fred Perlin, of Z Contractors, said his company had to lay off all 27 employees in its concrete department.

"Everybody is happy to go back to work. I have gotten ahold of most of my employees and told them if the strike ends tomorrow that they are to report to work on Monday, ready to work," Perlin said.

Perlin said the concrete strike has messed up the company's cash flow and has set back the company work schedule about seven weeks, as well as strained the finances of his laid-off workers.

"Now, finally, they can see some daylight at the end of the tunnel. Now they can start getting back to the way things were before this all happened," Perlin said.