Kauai County Route 530

Kauai County Route 530 is an approximately 3.4-mile rural highway which connects Koloa west to Lawai. This corridor begins at Poipu Road (Kauai County Route 520) in Koloa and follows Koloa Road west to Hawaii Route 50 (Kaumualii Highway) in Lawai.

Kauai County Route 530 was originally commissioned as Hawaii Route 53 in 1955. This corridor was spun off into the Kauai County Route System in 1968 and was renumbered as "530" during the 1970s.

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 Kauai County Route 530

As presently configured Kauai County Route 530 is a 3.4-mile corridor which connects Koloa to Lawai. Kauai County Route 530 begins at Poipu Road in Koloa and follows Koloa Road west to Hawaii Route 50 (Kaumualii Highway) in Lawai. Historically this County Route is tied heavily to the history of the community of Koloa.

Koloa was founded in 1835 as a sugar plantation by Ladd & Company. The Ladd & Company plantation was centered on a 980-acre land plot lease granted by Royal Governor, Kaikioewa. The site specifically chosen due to the high-quality soil and nearby reliable source of water at Maulili Pool.

Sugar production at the Koloa Mill was initially slow and centered around 12 acres. A second mill was constructed near the confluence of Waikoko Stream and Waihohonu Stream in 1841. This then new mill was able to process far higher volumes of sugar cane. Despite construction of a new mill Ladd & Company was unable to maintain profits and had their lease vacated by the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1845. Lease interests in the Koloa Mill were sold to Robert Wood who operated the facility until 1874.

The roads presently comprising what is now Kauai County Route 520 are all shown on the 1903 Hawaii Territory Map of Kauai. A marina facility at Koloa Landing is shown to located on what is now Hoonani Road.

In 1906 the narrow gauge (2 foot 6 inch) Kauai Railway was constructed from Port Allen east to Koloa via Kalaheo. The 1841-era Koloa Mill was shuttered in 1912 as a new and much larger mill would open east of the community. The Kauai Railway would shutter in 1947 when trucks functionally replaced the line. The Koloa Sugar Plantation would change hands numerous times and eventually would shutter for a final time in 1996.

In 1955 the Hawaii Route System was expanded to Kauai. The community of Koloa was initially assigned to the corridors of Hawaii Routes 52 and 53. Hawaii Route 52 initially appears to have only extended from Hawaii Route 50 near Knudson Gap to Hawaii Route 53 in Koloa. This initial alignment of Hawaii Routes 52 and 53 appears on the 1959 Gousha Highway map of Hawaii. Hawaii would become the 50th State on August 21, 1959.

Hawaii Routes 52 and 53 are shown to both mutually terminate in Koloa at Poipu Road on the 1963 United States Geological Survey map of Koloa.

In 1968 the Hawaii Route System and County Route Systems were split. Both Hawaii Route 52 and 53 were not retained as State Highway inventory and were spun off as Kauai County Routes. During the 1970s both corridors were renumbered as 520 and 530 which indicated to be secondary highways.

Part 2; a drive on Kauai County Route 530

Westbound Kauai County Route 530 begins at the intersection of Koloa Road and Poipu Road in Koloa. This junction does not have reassurance shields, and the guide sign indicates Waimea as a control city instead of Lawai.