Skip to main content

Hawaii Route 76 Fort Weaver Road

By

 

Hawaii Route 76 is a 6-mile State Highway located on the Island of O'ahu.  Hawaii Route 76 begins at Interstate H-1/Hawaii Route 750 in Waipahu and follows Fort Weaver Road to the boundary of the Fort Weaver Naval Reservation.



This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking here. 



Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 76

The corridor of Fort Weaver Road has been linked to military usage since the U.S. Army acquired land on Ewa Beach during 1905 to support coastline defense.  The Army property was transferred to the U.S. Navy during 1916 and came to be known as the Pu'uloa Military Reservation.  The coastal defense facility by 1922 took the name of Fort Weaver.  Fort Weaver saw the construction of Battery Williston which was completed by 1924.  Battery Weaver was added to Fort Weaver upon being completed during 1934.  

Prior to the Statehood the first signed highways within Hawaii Territory came into existence during World War II.   During World War II the territory of Hawaii saw an influx of military activity following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.  Numerous Military Routes and early Hawaii Routes were signed through the Hawaiian Territory to aid military personnel in navigating the islands.  Military Highways were assigned US Route style shields whereas lesser highways were assigned an early variation of what is now the Hawaii Route Spade.  Ewa Beach Road (now Old Fort Weaver Road and Fort Weaver Road) was assigned as Hawaii Route 211 south of Military Route 2/Farrington Highway.  Anti-Motor Torpedo Battery #1 was added to Fort Weaver in 1943.  A full version of the 1946 Army Map of O'ahu can be seen on hawaiihighways.com here.  

Below Hawaii Route 211/Ewa Beach Road can be seen branching from Military Route 2/Farrington Highway.


Circa 1955 following the conclusion of World War II the United States Bureau of Public Roads renumbered the Hawaii Route System.  The 1955 Hawaii Route Renumbering saw most of the conventions utilized by the current Hawaii State Route System established.  Primary Hawaii Routes were given two-digit numbers whereas Secondary Hawaii Routes were given three-digit numbers.  The Hawaii Routes were assigned in sequence for what Island/County they were located on coupled with what Federal Aid Program number they were tied to.  In the case of O'ahu the Island was assigned numbers in the range of 60-99.  In the case of Fort Weaver Road it was assigned as part of Hawaii Route 76 which began south of Hawaii Route 90/Farrington Highway.  A far more detailed explanation of the 1955 Hawaii Route Renumbering can be found at hawaiihighways.com here. 

Hawaii Route 76 can be seen aligned on Fort Weaver Road on the 1959 Gousha Map of Hawaii. 


During the 1960s Fort Weaver Road declined in importance and was reassigned as Hawaii Route 760.  The triple digit numbering of Hawaii Route 760 denoted it was a Secondary State Highway.  Hawaii Route 760 can be seen in the vicinity of Honouliuli on the 1968 USGS Map of the Ewa Area on what is now Old Fort Weaver Road.


According to hawaiihighways.com Fort Weaver Road was realigned as an expressway from the Lower Village of West Loch Estates north of Farrington Hawaii directly to Interstate H-1.  Fort Weaver Road was reassigned as Hawaii Route 76 denoting it's restored status as a primary highway.  Hawaii Route 76 consumed what had been Hawaii Route 750 from Farrington Highway north to Interstate H-1.  The realigned Fort Weaver Road and Hawaii Route 76 can be seen immediately east of Old Fort Weaver Road on the 1998 USGS Map of the Ewa Area.  



Part 2; a drive on Hawaii Route 76

Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road southbound begins from Interstate H-1/Queen Liliuokalani Freeway Exit 5 which also accesses Hawaii Route 750/Kunia Road.  


Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road begins as an expressway south of Interstate H-1/Queen Liliuokalani.  Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road southbound intersects Farrington Highway via an interchange which accesses Hawaii Route 7101 and Hawaii Route 7110 via Exit 6A.  Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road Exit 5 accesses Waipahu.  



Below northbound Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road can be seen at Aikanaka Road.  


Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road northbound approaching Renton Road.


Mile Marker 4 and a reassurance shield on Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road. 



Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road Northbound Exit 5 accesses Hawaii Route 7101/Farrington Highway.


Hawaii Route 76/Fort Weaver Road northbound terminates at Interstate H-1/Hawaii Route 750.  




During May of 2019 Dan Murphy of the Roadwaywiz YouTube Channel and Gribblenation featured real-time drives on Hawaii Route 76.  Below southbound Hawaii Route 76 can be viewed.



Below northbound Hawaii Route 76 can be viewed.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

By
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tale of Tollhouse Road, western California State Route 168 and failed Piute Pass Highway

By
Western California State Route 168 is entirely located in Fresno County and is linked historically to the Tollhouse Road corridor.   Tollhouse Road is one of the oldest highways in the Sierra Nevada range of Fresno County. The corridor presently begins in at Clovis Avenue in downtown Clovis and extends northeast to Huntington Lake. In 1866 the Woods Brothers established mining claims on Pine Ridge. In 1867 Fresno County would grant the brothers a toll franchise to construct a roadway to the desirable logging areas atop Pine Ridge and near Dinkey Creek. The Woods would establish a tollhouse at the start of their franchise road and lumber mill. The lumber mill attracted settlers which led to the establishment of the mountain town of Tollhouse. Fresno County would purchase the Tollhouse Road in 1878 and make it a public highway. The county would remove the tolls and incorporate the corridor into the existing county road network. Prior to the establishment of Clovis in 1...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old Dunlap Road (former California State Route 180 in Yokuts Valley)

By
When California State Route 180 was commissioned in August 1934 the alignment in took in Sierra Nevada range was very different than from today.  The original highway alignment from Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) to east Grant Grove (then part of General Grant National Park) originally followed what is now Ruth Hill Road, Dunlap Road, Pinehurst Road (modern California State Route 245), Dark Canyon Road (partially now Forest Road 14S45).  After funding fell through for the planned Kings Canyon Road the was corridor eventually picked up as a 30-mile-long cooperative project between the Division of Highways and Federal Government.  Much of current alignment of California State Route 180 bypassing Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) and Dunlap was complete by 1941.  The post-1941 alignment of California State Route 180 in Squaw Valley was shifted onto what was once Dunlap Road in Squaw Valley.  This alignment itself was later bypassed by modern California State Route...
Post a Comment
Read more