Hawaii Route 560
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Route 560 |
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| Kuhio Highway | |||||||||
| Length: | 10.0 mi (16.09344 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | Late 1960s | ||||||||
| East end: |  Route 56 in Princeville |
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| West end: | Dead ends at Haena State Park | ||||||||
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Hawaii Route 560 is a ten-mile road that stretches from the junction of Route 56 in Princeville to a dead end road at Haena State Park on Kauai. The road was formally constructed in 1957.[1] The entire road is signed as the Kuhio Highway and Hawaii Route 56 was once signed on this route before it was downgraded to become Hawaii Route 560 in the late 1960s.[2] Hawaii Route 560 was added in 2004 to the National Register of Historic Places as the Kaua'i Belt Road-North Shore section.[3]
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[edit] Background
The character of the road can be explained in many ways. Beginning in Princeville, the road drops in elevation heading towards the Hanalei River with lookout points giving breathtaking views of the river valley and the northwestern shore of Kauai. The road is narrow at times and features eleven one-lane bridges with the first constructed in 1912. Many of these bridges have restricted weight limits and some of them are wooden.[4] Traffic must yield at these bridges and it is custom on the island to allow the greater traffic to cross first or after three to five cars have passed your side of the road to allow to the other side to pass.[5] The only major town on this route is Hanalei. The road becomes narrower with each passing mile as the Nā Pali Coast begins to inch closer towards the coast. The road dead ends at Haena State Park.
[edit] Past Aspirations
The Hawaii Department of Transportation was planning to replace these bridges with two-lane bridges, but the plan was later abandoned in 1987. Instead, a massive renovation project began for the Hanalei River bridge, which was completed in 2003 thanks in part to a community preservation group and cooperation with Hawaii DOT.[6][7] There also were plans to extend the road to Route 550 allowing one to circumnavigate the entire island in the 1960s; however, those plans were dropped due to environmental concerns and lack of traffic demand.[8]
[edit] Trivia
The Kuhio Highway is named after Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, the second non-voting Congressional Delegate from territorial Hawaii.
[edit] References
- ^ Archiplanet's Listing of Hawaii 560
- ^ How did Hawaii's route number system evolve into its present form?
- ^ HI 560 Added to National Register of Historic Places
- ^ HI 560 Bridge Log
- ^ One Lane Bridge Crossing the Hanalei River
- ^ Renovated Hanalei Bridge officially blessed, Kauai Garden Island News November 9, 2003
- ^ Robeson, Wilcox honored for preserving Hanalei Bridge, Kauai Garden Island News May 14, 2003
- ^ Why can't you drive all the way around Kauai?
