Skip to main content

Hawaii Route 3400 (the amalgamation of former Hawaii Route 34 and former Maui County Route 341)

By


Hawaii Route 3400 is a 2.6-mile State Highway located on the Island of Maui in the Wailuku and Kahului areas.  Hawaii Route 3400 is comprised of portions which were once part of Hawaii Route 34 on Kahului Beach Road and Maui County Route 341 on Waiehu Beach Road.  Modern Hawaii Route 3400 now bridges Hawaii Route 32 at Kaahumanu Avenue in Kahului north to Hawaii Route 340/Maui County 330 at Kahekili Highway near Wailuku. 


Part 1; the evolution of Hawaii Route 34 and Maui County Route 341 into Hawaii Route 3400

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 34 was aligned from Hawaii Route 32 at Kaahumanu Avenue in Kahului west through Wailuku on a partially completed downtown bypass via lower Main Street and approximately half a mile of Waiale Road.  Hawaii Route 34 was connected to Hawaii Route 30 south of downtown Wailuku via non-state-maintained Koa Drive.  Maui County Route 341 was aligned north from Hawaii Route 34 at lower Main Street via what is now Waiehu Beach Road and Lower Waiehu Beach Road to Waiehu Beach Park.  The original configurations of Hawaii Route 34 and Maui County Route 341 can be seen on the 1955 United States Geological Survey map of Wailuku.  

According hawaiihighways.com a 1967 Hawaii Department of Transportation document recommended the removal of Hawaii Route 34 from the Federal-Aid Highway System and by proxy State Highway System.  This measure seems to have been taken due to Koa Drive never been taken on as a State maintained facility which meant Hawaii Route 34 never fully functioned as the bypass of downtown Wailuku it was intended to be.  

Despite being a mainline State Highway, it appears Hawaii Route 34 may have been always signed with "bypass" placards.  A 2001 era image of a Hawaii Route 34 shield along with a bypass placard can be seen on hawaiihighways.com here.  

1.5 miles of Maui County Route 341 (Waiehu Beach Road) from lower Main Street to Waiehu Stream and 4.3 miles of Kahekili Highway north of Waiehu Stream were to Camp Maluhia were recommended to be added to the State Highway System.  This led to construction of a new connecting branch of Waiehu Beach Road directly to Kahekili Highway.  This new construction led to the designation of Hawaii Route 340 which followed Kahului Beach Road (formerly lower Main Street) 1.1 miles, Waiehu Beach Road for 1.5 miles and replacing Hawaii Route 33 over Kahekili Highway for 4.3 miles.  Hawaii Route 340 can be seen on the 1983 United States Geological Survey Map of the Wailuku area.  



It is unclear when Hawaii Route 3400 replaced Hawaii Route 340 between Kaahumanu Avenue and Kahekili Highway.  Hawaii Route 3400 is shown to be interchange with Hawaii Route 340 on the 2017 United State Geological Survey map of the Wailuku area.  Hawaii Route 340 shields strangely are occasionally in place along modern Hawaii Route 3400.  


Part 2; a drive on Hawaii Route 3400

Hawaii Route 3400 begins via a right-hand turn from the terminus of Maui County Route 330 on Kahekili Highway onto Waiehu Beach Road.  



Hawaii Route 3400/Waiehu Beach Road eastbound intersects former Maui County Route 341 at Lower Waiehu Beach Road.  

Hawaii Route 3400/Waiehu Beach Road continue east to Kahului Beach Road and lower Main Street.  Hawaii Route 3400 makes a left hand turn onto Kahului Beach Road whereas Hawaii Route 34 would have once gone in both directions.  For unknown reasons the approach to Kahului Beach Road and lower Main Street is signed "junction Hawaii Route 340."


Hawaii Route 3400 continues east via Kahului Beach Road where it terminates at Hawaii Route 32/Kaahumanu Avenue (GSV image used).


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dillon Road

By
Dillon Road is a 34.2-mile highway located in northern Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California.  Dillon Road begins at Avenue 48 on the outskirts of Indio and ends to the west at California State Route 62 near San Gorgonio Pass.  Dillon Road was developed the 1930s as a construction road for the Colorado River Aqueduct.  Dillon Road serves as a northern bypass to much of the development of Coachella Valley.  Dillon Road is known for it's frequent dips and spectacular views of San Gorgonio Pass.   Part 1; the history of Dillon Road Dillon Road was constructed as a haul road for the Colorado River Aqueduct through Coachella Valley.  The Colorado River Aqueduct spans 242 miles from Parker Dam on the Colorado River west to Lake Mathews near Corona.  Construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct began during January 1933 near Thousand Palms and was made functional on January 7, 1939.  West of Berdoo Canyon Road the alignment of Dillon Road is largely concurrent with the Colorado
Post a Comment
Read more

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road

By
Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road is an approximately 21-mile highway located in southeast Kern County.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road begins at Tehachapi Boulevard (former US Route 466) in Tehachapi and crosses the Tehachapi Mountains via the 4,820-foot-high Oak Creek Pass.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road enters Antelope Valley of the wider Mojave Desert and passes by the historic stage station of Willow Springs to a southern terminus at Rosamond Boulevard.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road has historic ties to the Havilah-Los Angeles Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road due to the once reliable presence of water at Willow Springs. Part 1; the history of Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road Oak Creek Pass and Willow Springs were known to the local tribes of the Tehachapi Mountains for generations.  The first documented European crossing of Oak Creek Pass was during 1776 as part of an expedition by Francisco Garces.  Oak Creek Pass is as used again by John C. Fremont during an 1844-1845 expedition to e
Post a Comment
Read more

Oldtown Toll Bridge - Maryland and West Virginia

By
  The Oldtown Toll Bridge linking Oldtown, Maryland over the Potomac River with neighboring Green Spring, West Virginia is only one of a few truly privately owned toll bridges located in the United States. It's a simple bridge by design, as the 318 foot long Oldtown Toll Bridge is a low water bridge. Low water bridges are designed to allow water to safely and efficiently flow over the bridge deck. Additionally, a dozen concrete pedestals have been secured in the Potomac River in order to support the bridge and wooden deck. The bridge was constructed in 1937 when a gentleman by the name of Mr. Carpenter obtained the proper permits to build the Bridge through an Act of Congress. This was a blessing for residents, especially on the West Virginia side of the Potomac River, as it saved motorists commuting to Cumberland an hour in travel time. Using Mr. Carpenter's blueprints, the Army Corp of Engineers and a number of local laborers constructed the bridge and it remained under the
3 comments
Read more