Skip to main content

Ala Kinoiki Way to Poipu Beach (the Koloa Bypass)

By

Ala Kinoiki Way (the Koloa Bypass) is 2.9-mile rural bypass of the community of Koloa which permits direct access from Kauai County Route 520 to Poipu.  Construction of Koloa Bypass would begin in 1999 and opened to traffic in 2001 following a project delay due to surfacing issues.  Kauai County intends to extend the Koloa Bypass west to Kauai County Route 530 (Koloa Road) by 2035 as part of Federal Aid-Highway Route 522.    


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 the Koloa Bypass

The Koloa Bypass corridor was a project intended to grant the community of Poipu direct access to Kauai County Route 520 (Mahulia Road).  Originally traffic wishing to access Poipu had to pass through the congested community of Koloa and utilize Poipu Road.  

Construction of the Koloa Bypass began on May 17, 1999.  During October 2000 a naming contest for the bypass was held.  The Kauai County Mayor's Office would select "Ala Kinoiki Way" from the list of submitted contest entries.

The Koloa Bypass was functionally completed between Kauai County Route 520 and Poipu Road by early 2001.  A formal dedication ceremony for the bypass was planned for March 14, 2001.  Kauai County discovered upon final inspection that the initial project contractor (Rego Construction) had applied the roadway concrete too thinly. 

Okada Trucking Company out of Oahu was contracted to finish the Koloa Bypass.  The June 23, 2001, Garden Island announced the corridor was anticipated to be open to traffic the coming August. 

The County of Kauai intends to eventually extend the Koloa Bypass west of Kauai County Route 520 to Kauai County Route 530 (Koloa Road).  This extension appears as Federal-Aid Highway Route 522 on the 2035 Transportation Plan for the District of Kauai.  All Federal Aid-Highway Programs in Hawaii are assigned Route numbers consistent with the established State Highway numbering systems applicable to individual islands.  In the case of Kauai these numbers range from 50-59, 500-599 and 5000-5999. 





Part 2; a drive on the Koloa Bypass

The southbound Koloa Bypass begins a short distance from Koloa along Kauai County Route 520 (Maluhia Road).  Poipu is used as a control city, and the street blade indicates the bypass name of Ala Kinoiki (which lacks "Way").


The Koloa Bypass extends 2.9 miles southward and terminates at Poipu Road.  









Poipu has been inhabited well before European contact in Hawaii.  The Hapa Trail was an ancient Hawaiian roadway to the area which has been dated to around 1200 AD.  Modern Poipu is a resort community which had 1,299 residents on the 2020 census.  Nearby Poipu Beach Park is one of the best-known locations on Kauai to see Sea Turtles resting during evening hours. 




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more