Skip to main content

Kuakini Highway (former Hawaii Route 11 in Kailua-Kona)

By

Kuakini Highway east of Palani Road in Kailua-Kona is the original alignment of Hawaii Route 11.  The highway upon being commissioned in 1955 began at the Palani Road (then Hawaii Route 19) and followed Kuakini Highway southeast towards Holualoa.  Hawaii Route 11 was shifted to an extension of Queen Kaahumanu Highway during the late 1970s which bypassed downtown Kailua-Kona.  


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. 




Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 11 and Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona

Hawaii Route 11 is part of Mamalahoa Highway (the Hawaii Belt Road) and is the longest Hawaiian State Route at 121.97 miles.  The highway begins at the mutual junction of Hawaii Route 19 and Hawaii Route 190 in Kailua-Kona.  From Kailua-Kona the routing of Hawaii Route 11 crosses the volcanic landscapes of southern side of the Big Island.  Hawaii Route 11 terminates at Hawaii Route 19/Kamehameha Avenue near Hilo Bay and Hilo International Airport. 

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.  

In 1955 the Hawaii Route System was modified and expanded to the Big Island.  The southern half of Mamalahoa Highway from Kailua-Kona to Hilo was assigned Hawaii Route 11.  The early routing of Hawaii Route 11 can be seen on the 1959 Gousha Map of Hawaii.      



Hawaii Route 11 has had several minor realignments on the southern side of the Big Island.  The older alignment segments typically appear on maps as Old Mamalahoa Highway or Old Volcano Road.  

The alignment of Hawaii Route 11 in Kailua-Kona has changed significantly.  The highway headed north from Captain Cook originally entered Kailua-Kona via Kuakini Highway.  Hawaii Route 11 followed Kuakini Highway into downtown Kailua-Kona where it met Hawaii Route 19 at Palani Road.  This early alignment can be seen on the 1961 United States Geological Survey map of Kailua-Kona (courtesy historicaerials.com).


According to Oscar Voss's Hawaii Highways webpage the alignment of Hawaii Route 11 shifted onto to an extension of Queen Kaahumanu Highway around 1976.  This alignment shift removed Kuakini Highway from the Big Island State Highway system.  



Part 2; a drive on former Hawaii Route 11 along Kuakini Highway

Traffic following southbound Palani Road reaches the terminus of Hawaii Route 190 at Kuakini Highway.  The Hawaii Department of Transportation signage still advises destinations once accessible on southbound Kuakini Highway when it was part of Hawaii Route 11.  Volcano is listed as being 96 miles away.  


Southbound Kuakini Highway intersects Hawaii County Route 182 at Hualalai Road.





Kuakini Highway climbs uphill and merges into Hawaii Route 11 near Holualoa.  









Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rep. Sue Myrick's letter to Gov. Easley and Sect. Tippett published in Charlotte Observer

By
US. Representative Sue Myrick's (R-Charlotte) letter to North Carolina's Governor Mike Easley and NC Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett was published in the Friday, November 30th edition of the Charlotte Observer . Why are we delaying the completion of 1-485 in Charlotte again? I read in The Charlotte Observer how rising prices of materials are leading to the delay. Why didn't these same rising costs delay the loops in Fayetteville and Wilmington? Why are we building loops in Fayetteville and Wilmington before we complete the one in Charlotte? We were working on the one in Charlotte back when I was mayor. That was 20 years ago! ... Last I looked Charlotte was the largest city in the state. There seems to be no recognition of that fact in Raleigh. No recognition that we are at a standstill with traffic. No recognition that we have a traffic problem. Nor is there any recognition of the fact that the state DOT utterly botched up the southern leg of our yet to be completed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Sandstone Falls

By
The New River, which runs through New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, is best known for its dramatic rapids and whitewater adventures.  Those features begin at one of the river's widest points: Sandstone Falls. From the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk a look at just a small part of the falls. Though the vertical drop of roughly 20 feet is less than many other well-known waterfalls in the state, the falls' expanse, where the river approaches 1500 feet wide, makes Sandstone Falls impressive.   The Boardwalk Trail leads to a better vantage point of the overall falls. It is a great spot for photography, fishing, or laying out in the sun. Access to the falls is relatively easy: from Hinton, cross the New River on Highway 20, then turn right onto CR 26 and follow New River Road to the Sandstone Falls Parking Area. The Island Loop Trail is a short detour off the Boardwalk Trail and shows a quieter side of the area. At Sandstone Falls, you will find a variety of activities fr...
Post a Comment
Read more

I-785 first "signed" nine years ago Friday.

By
This is where Google news alerts really come in handy. It appears that nine years ago tomorrow, there was a ceremony 'dedicating' US 29 from Greensboro to Danville as Interstate 785. From the opening of a 1998 Greensboro News & Record Article: "Say goodbye to U.S. 29. Say hello to Interstate 785. In a name change billed as an enhancement of "economic development," Reps. Virgil Goode of Virginia and Richard Burr of North Carolina will speak today at a ceremony marking the designation of U.S. 29 as part of the interstate highway system. It begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Piedmont Triad Visitors..." A few things have changed in the nine years. I'd love to say US 29 has now become fully integrated as Interstate 785, but that's not the item that is different today than nine years ago. Here's the change....North Carolina U.S. Representative Richard Burr is now North Carolina U.S. Senator Richard Burr. Other than that, there are a few ...
Post a Comment
Read more