Skip to main content

Hawaii County Route 148

By

Hawaii County Route 148 is a 4.8-mile highway comprising Wright Road and Amaunau Road near the community of Volcano.  The corridor was added to the State Highway System as Hawaii Route 148 during 1961.  The highway was intended to continue north of Volcano to Hawaii Route 200 at the Saddle Road but as ultimately never constructed and turned over Hawaii County in 1967.  The highway today now serves as the only road access to the Puu Makaala Natural Area Reserve (which was designated in 1981).  


This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking here. 




The history of Hawaii County Route 148

Wright Road from Old Volcano Road north to Laukapu was part of the original Volcano community plot.  Volcano Village was founded in 1894 following the improvement of Mamalahoa Highway (alternatively Old Volcano Trail) between Hilo and the Kilauea caldera.  Early Volcano Village served as a stage station for travelers departing the Hilo Railroad station in Glenwood (starting in 1901).  During 1916 the community would see a rise in prominence following Hawaii Volcanos National Park being declared.  The Volcano Road of Mamalahoa Highway was improved to automotive standards with the installation of a concrete surface circa 1927-1928

The early Wright Road corridor can be seen in this original configuration on the 1924 United States Geological Survey map (courtesy historicaerials.com).


Hawaii Route 148 was added to the State Highway System by way of a 1961 Highway Department of Transportation document (courtesy Oscar Voss's hawaiihighways.com).  The corridor was to be 4.8 miles originating at Hawaii Route 11 (then at what is now Old Volcano Road) in the Volcano area comprising Wright Road and Amaunau Road.  The document specifies the highway was intended to continue another 14 miles north to the Saddle Road (Hawaii Route 200).  

Hawaii Route 148 can be seen on the 1964 United States Geological Survey map of Volcano (courtesy historicaerials.com).


Ultimately the road north of Volcano was never expanded to the Saddle Road.  Hawaii Route 148 appeared in a 1967 Hawaii Department of Transportation document as being slated to be transferred to Hawaii County.  

Upon being relinquished from the State Highway System Wright Road and Amaunau Road were designated as Hawaii County Route 148.  During 1981 the Puu Makaala Natural Area Reserve as designated by the State of Hawaii.  The reserve set aside the rainforest north of Volcano and is only accessible from the end of Amaunau Road.  

The beginning of Hawaii County Route 148 can be seen below as it is currently signed from the modern alignment of Hawaii Route 11 in Volcano.  


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. 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 Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more