Skip to main content

Maui County Route 33

By


Maui County Route 33 is a short half mile highway located on North Market Street in Wailuku on the Island of Maui.  Maui County Route 33 begins at Hawaii Route 32/Main Street and has a northern terminus at Maui County Route 330/Kahekili Highway.  Maui County Route 33 is a component of what was once Hawaii Route 33.  


Part 1; the history of Maui County Route 33 and Hawaii Route 33

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.  

It is unclear when signage of North Market Street in Wailuku reverted to be signed Maui County Route 33 or if it ever was signed as Maui County Route 330.  An embossed Hawaii Route 33 shield once present on North Market Street in Wailuku can be seen in Wailuku in a 2000 era image hosted by hawaiihighways.com here.  


Part 2; a drive on Maui County Route 33

Wailuku is the Maui County Seat and is the longest-lived continuous community on the Island of Maui. What is now Wailuku was the site of Kamehameha's victory at the Battle of Kepaniwai during 1790.  During 1860s the site of Wailuku became the hub location for the operations of the Wailuku Sugar Company.  By 1905 Wailuku became the Maui County Seat and has retained it since.  

Maui County Route 33 northbound begin with a left hand turn as Hawaii Route 32 eastbound on Main Street intersects North Market Street.  Strangely Maui County Route 33 is adorned with newer reassurance shields on Hawaii Route 32.  The Hawaii Route shield and Hawaiian County Route shields functionally are the same design.  The only tangible way to know the difference between Hawaii Routes and Hawaiian County Routes is to examine the Highway Department of Transportation mileage logs (which are hosted on hawaiihighways.com)


Maui County Route 33 begins with a one-way northbound on jog on North Main Street to Vineyard Street.  Maui County Route 33 isn't signed with a southbound routing between Main Street-Vineland Street which functionally makes the highway only possible to complete heading northbound.  



Maui County Route 33 continues on North Main Street and crosses Iao Stream.  Maui County Route 33 terminates at Hawaii Route 330/Kahekili Highway.  





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

By
Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more