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Hawaii Route 190

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Hawaii Route 190 is an approximately 39-mile State Highway located on the Big Island.  The highway originates at Palani Drive at Kuakini Highway in the community of Kailua-Kona.  From Kailua-Kona the routing of Hawaii Route 190 follows Palani Drive and Mamalahoa Highway to Hawaii Route 19 Waimea.  Hawaii Route 190 was the original routing of Hawaii Route 19 prior to the latter being realigned onto Queen Kaahumanu Highway in 1975.  Hawaii Route 190 is part of the Hawaiian Belt Road and original Mamalahoa Highway.  




Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 190

Hawaii Route 190 is comprised of the original routing of Hawaii Route 19 from Kailua-Kona to Waimea via Palani Drive and Mamalahoa Highway.  To understand the history of Hawaii Route 190 one must examine the history of Hawaii Route 190.  

Hawaii Route 19 is part of the Hawaii Belt Road and is the second longest Hawaiian State Route at approximately 107 miles.  The highway begins at the mutual junction of Hawaii Route 11 and Hawaii Route 190 in Kailua-Kona.  From Kailua-Kona the routing of Hawaii Route 19 crosses the volcanic landscapes of western side of the Big Island via Queen Kaahumanu Highway.  From the end of Queen Kaahumanu Highway, the alignment of Hawaii Route 19 shifts east via Kawaihae Road to Waimea.  The corridor from Waimea follows the northern shore of the Big Island via the improved Mamalahoa Highway to Hilo where it finds a terminus at the Port of Hilo. 

Mamalahoa Highway was declared by royal decree in 1783 via the Law of the Splintered Paddle.  The law was conceived based off an incident Kamehameha I was part of along the Puna coast.  During said incident Kamehameha I and his men were conducting a shoreline raid when they encountered two Puna fisherman.  While pursuing the fisherman across a lava field one of Kamehameha's feet was caught in a rock.  The fishermen seized upon the opportunity to retaliate and struck Kamehameha in the head with a wooden paddle. 

Kamehameha opted to not retaliate against the fisherman and used the incident as the basis of the Law of the Splintered Paddle.  The law essentially guaranteed safe passage to all travelers across the Hawaiian Islands and was used as a basis of Mamalahoa Highway on the Big Island.  The highway corridor was rapidly developed across the Big Island and was mostly annexed as early automotive roads.  

Much of Mamalahoa Highway on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island acted as frontage of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway Hamakua Division.  The railroad took the best grade alignments possible north from Hilo to Paaulio.  The first phase of the Hamakua Division opened between Hilo and Hakalau by 1911.  The line was extended north to Paaulio by 1913.  The Hamakua Division was an impressive effort which required installation of 35 bridges and 3 tunnels.  

The winding early Mamalahoa Highway can be seen contrasted to the streamlined Hamakua Division on the 1930 Hilo Chamber of Commerce map of the Big Island.  


The same map displays the Hamakua Division alignment in Hilo.  The line is shown following the shore of Hilo Bay towards Hoolulu Park.  Mamalahoa Highway is shown following Wainaku Street over the Wailuku River into downtown Hilo.  The Hawaii Consolidated Railway continued south flanking Hilo Airport via branches to Glenwood and Puna. 


Much of the Hamakua Division was destroyed by a tsunami on April 1, 1946.  The division was abandoned by the Hawaii Consolidated Railway during December 1946.  Sugar plantation owners attempted to repurpose intact portions of the line north of the Wailuku River, but all were also abandoned by late 1948.  

One of the first portions of the Hamakua Division to be repurposed as part of a realigned Mamalahoa Highway came in 1950.  During said year the right-of-way in Hilo was used as the basis for Bayfront Highway.  The Wailuku River Bridge piers were reused for construction of a new highway bridge which removed significant amounts of traffic north/south from downtown Hilo.  

In 1955 the Hawaii Route System was modified and expanded to the Big Island.  The northern half of Mamalahoa Highway from Kailua-Kona to Hilo was assigned Hawaii Route 19.  The early routing of Hawaii Route 19 can be seen on the 1959 Gousha Map of Hawaii.  As originally configured Hawaii Route 19 began at Hawaii Route 11 at the intersection of Kaukina Highway/Palani Road in Kailua-Kona and ended at Hawaii Route 12 at the intersection of Kamehameha Avenue/Kanoelehua Avenue in Hilo.


The final segment of the Old Mamalahoa Highway on the northern side of the Big Island and Hamakua Coast was replaced with a modern highway in September 1963.  The last corridor which was realigned was from Mud Lane near Waimea east to Honokaa (information courtesy Oscar Voss's hawaiihighways.com).  By the time the entirety of Hawaii Route 19 from Paaulio to Hilo had been realigned onto the grade of the Hamakua Division.  Presently the highway uses five intact Hamakua Division bridges while three other spans are salvaged from parts of the line.  

During 1975 Queen Kaahumanu Highway was completed from Kailua-Kona to Hawaii Route 26 (Kawaihae Road).  The corridor was originally intended to serve as an extension of Hawaii Route 11 but instead was used as realignment of Hawaii Route 19 between Kailua-Kona and Waimea.  The then new Kailua-Kona to Waimea routing of Hawaii Route 19 consumed much of Hawaii Route 26 and several miles of Hawaii Route 25.  The original alignment following Mamalahoa Highway from Kailua-Kona to Waimea was renumbered as Hawaii Route 190.  A portion of Hawaii Route 12 (later Hawaii Route 120) was also used to extend Hawaii Route 19 to the Port of Hilo. 

Current Hawaii Department of Transportation logs show Hawaii Route 190 along Palani Drive as county maintained.  Despite the maintenance of Palani Drive being relinquished to Hawaii County the corridor is still listed in the description of Hawaii Route 190.  The logs seem to insinuate that the intention is to replace Palani Drive with Hawaii Route 197/Kealakehe Parkway.





Part 2; a drive on Hawaii Route 190 

Hawaii Route 190 northbound begins on Palani Drive at Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona.  The corridor ascends uphill to the mutual junction of Hawaii Routes 11 and 19.  



Northbound Hawaii Route 190 climbs along Palani Drive to Hawaii County Route 180 (Mamalahoa) Highway) at Palani Junction.  Hawaii Route 190 transitions onto Mamalahoa Highway, Waimea is signed as being 36 miles ahead.
















Hawaii Route 190 intersects the notable Kaloko Drive at Mile Marker 34 north of Hawaii County Route 180.  Kaloko Drive ascends to the coffee belt region of Kailua-Kona along the western slope of Hualalai to approximately 4,500 feet above sea level.  North of Kaloko Drive the alignment of Hawaii Route 190 transitions to the volcanic desert northeast of Kailua-Kona. 












Hawaii Route 190 passes through the volcanic desert and ascends to the community of Puuanahulu.  The 13,803-foot-high volcano of Mauna Kea can be seen in the distance.  












Hawaii Route 190 passes through Puuanahulu and intersects Hawaii Route 200 (Daniel K. Inouye Highway).  Waimea is signed as 14 miles north of the Hawaii Route 200 junction.  










Hawaii Route 190 intersects Waikoloa Road approximately 3 miles north of Hawaii Route 200.




Northbound Hawaii Route 190 next intersects the original alignment of Hawaii Route 200 at Saddle Road.  Waimea is signed as 7 miles north of Saddle Road.  








Hawaii Route 190 follows Mamalahoa Highway into Waimea and terminates at Hawaii Route 19/Kawaihae Road.  Hawaii Route 19 transitions onto Mamalahoa Highway towards Hilo. 











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