Skip to main content

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


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.  


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bridgeport Covered Bridge

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is a historic crossing of the South Fork Yuba River located in Nevada County, California near Nevada City.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge opened as a tolled crossing during 1862 as part of the larger Henness Pass Road.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge closed to vehicle traffic during 1972 and was recently restored during 2021.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is historically California's longest covered span is thought to likely be the longest such structure surviving in the world.  Featured as the blog cover is the Bridgeport Covered Bridge during 1950 when it was an active part of Pleasant Valley Road.   The history of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge The history of Bridgeport Covered Bridge was featured in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works .  Bridgeport Covered Bridge was constructed during 1862 over the South Fork Yuba River.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge served as part of the Virginia Turnpike Company maintained Henness Pass Roa

Former California State Route 215

  California State Route 215 was a short-lived state highway which existed in the Los Angeles Metropolitain area after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  California State Route 215 was aligned from US Route 60 at 5th Street in Pomona north to US Route 66 near Claremont via Garey Avenue.  California State Route 215 came to be after California State Route 71 was bisected in Pomona due to relinquishment of a portion of Garey Avenue due to the opening of a portion of the Corona Freeway (now Chino Valley Freeway) during 1958.  California State Route 215 was deleted by the Legislature during 1965. The history of California State Route 215 The initial segment of what was to become California State Route 215 was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act.  The First State Highway Bond Act defined what would become  Legislative Route Number 19  (LRN 19) as running from Claremont to Riverside.  The segment of LRN 19 between Claremont and Pomona would in

US Route 70 over San Augustin Pass

San Augustin Pass is a gap in the Organ Mountains, San Augustin Mountains and San Andres in Dona Ana County east of Las Cruces.  San Augustin Pass lies an elevation of approximately 5,600 feet above sea level and was originally traversed by New Mexico State Route 3.  US Route 70 would be realigned over San Augustin Pass during 1934 when it was extended to Los Angeles, California.  During 1963 US Route 82 would be extended through San Augustin Pass to Las Cruces.  Since the early the early 1990s signage of US Route 82 has been withdrawn to Alamogordo.  San Augustin Pass and US Route 70 are largely known for the numerous closures due to test firings originating from the White Sands Missile Range.   Part 1; the history of highway designations over San Augustin Pass San Augustin Pass traditionally has been the easiest from the Rio Grande in Las Cruces east to the Tularosa Basin.  The terrain conditions at San Augustin Pass allowed for an easy crossing in the gap between the Organ Mountains