Skip to main content

Kahekili Highway (Maui County Route 330, Hawaii Route 340, Maui County Route 340 and Hawaii Route 30)

By


Kahekili Highway is a 19.2-mile highway located on the Island of Maui.  Kahekili Highway begins at the terminus of Maui County Route 33 at the north end of Market Street in Wailuku.  Kahekili Highway is carried by 1.7 miles of Maui County Route 330, 4.3 miles of Hawaii Route 340 and 9.4 miles of Maui County Route 340 and 5.8 miles of Hawaii Route 30 to Honoapiilani Highway at Honokohau Bay.  Kahekili Highway skirts the northwest coast of Maui and the 9.4 miles carried by Maui County Route 340 is infamously narrow.  


Part 1; the history of Kahekili Highway

The predecessor to Kahekili Highway is the King's Highway.   During the 16th Century a 138-mile belt road known as the King's Highway was constructed around the island perimeter under the direction Maui King Kiha-a-Piilani.  King's Highway was the paved with hand fitted lava rocks and was the first perimeter road on any Hawaiian Island.  King's Highway was four to six feet wide and was intended to facilitate rapid foot travel around Maui. 



Kahekili Highway is named in honor of Maui ruler Kahekili I.  Kahekili was born during the 1700s and was known presiding over a period of conquest.  Kahekili would conquer the Islands of Oahu, Lanai and Kauai during his reign.  

A primitive road connecting Wailuku west to Honokahau appears on the 1906 F.S. Dodge Map of Maui.  


The Island of Maui seemingly was not part of the original World War II era Hawaii Route System.  Circa 1955 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 the Island of Maui it was assigned numbers in the range of 30-40.

Hawaii Route 33 was designated as originating in Wailuku at Hawaii Route 32.  Hawaii Route 33 initially followed North Market Steet and the entirety of Kahekili Highway along the northwest coast of Maui to Hawaii Route 30 at Honokohau.  Hawaii Route 33 also had a bypass of downtown Wailuku which originated at Hawaii Route 32/Main Street.  The Hawaii Route 33 bypass route followed Mill Street and Central Street from Hawaii Route 32 to mainline Hawaii Route 33 at North Market Street. 

Hawaii Route 33 can be seen on the 1959 Gousha Highway Map of Hawaii.  

During the 1960s the Hawaii Route System was simplified, and numerous minor routes were shed from the State inventory.  According to hawaiihighways.com Hawaii Route 33 on North Market Street and Kahekili Highway to Waiehu Beach Road were redesignated as Maui County Route 330 during 1968.  The remaining portion of Kahekili Highway was redesignated as Hawaii Route 340 to Camp Maluhia and Maui County Route 340 to Honokohau Bay.  Kahekili Highway between Keawalua to Honokohau Bay was added back into the Hawaii State Highway System as an extension of Hawaii Route 30 sometime after 1981 or possibly 1994 according to hawaiihighways.com. 


Part 2; a drive on the Maui County Route 330 portion of Kahekili Highway

Kahekili Highway begins as Maui County Route 330 at the northern terminus of Maui County Route 33 at the end of Market Street in Wailuku.


Kahekili Highway follows Maui County Route 330 northward to the junction of Hawaii Route 340 and Hawaii Route 3400.  Kahekili Highway splits left from the junction onto Hawaii Route 340, Kahakuloa is signed as being 12 miles away.  







The Hawaii Route 340 and Maui County Route 340 portions of Kahekili Highway can be observed on hawaiihighways.com.  In recent years the Maui County Route 340 portion of Kahekili Highway has be repaved and is in far better condition than presented below.  

Hawaii Highways - Road Photos - Kahekili Highway

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

North Carolina Continues to Move Forward with Rail

By
2023 and the first half of 2024 have seen continued growth in North Carolina's passenger rail system.  From increased daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte, federal funds for studying additional corridors, and receiving a historic grant to begin the construction of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond, the last 18 months have been a flurry of activity at NCDOT's Rail Division.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As ridership and routes increase - the engine of North Carolina passenger rail trains will become a more common sight. (Adam Prince) Increased Passenger Train Service: On July 10, 2023, a fourth Piedmont round-trip rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte commenced.  The four Piedmont trains plus the daily Carolinian (to Washington, DC, and New York) bring the total of trains serving the two cities daily to five. The current daily Piedmont and Carolinian schedule between Charlotte and Raleigh (NCDOT) The result was over 641,000 passengers utilized pa
Post a Comment
Read more

The Midway Palm and Pine of US Route 99

By
Along modern day California State Route 99 south of Avenue 11 just outside the City limits of Madera one can find the Midway Palm and Pine in the center median of the freeway.  The Midway Palm and Pine denotes the halfway point between the Mexican Border and Oregon State Line on what was US Route 99.  The Midway Palm is intended to represent Southern California whereas the Midway Pine is intended to represent Northern California.  Pictured above the Midway Palm and Pine can be seen from the northbound lanes of the California State Route 99 Freeway.   This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The history of the Midway Palm and Pine The true timeframe for when the Midway Palm and Pine (originally a Deadora Cedar Tree) were planted is unknown.  In fact, the origin of the Midway Palm and Pine w
Post a Comment
Read more

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

By
The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D
Post a Comment
Read more