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   Hawaiʻi Belt Road | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Māmalahoa Highway | ||||||||||
 Map of theIsland of Hawaiʻi with the Hawaiʻi Belt Road highlighted in red and blue | ||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||
| Maintained byHDOT andHCDPW | ||||||||||
| Length | 260.43 mi[1] (419.12 km)
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| Existed | 1783–present | |||||||||
| History | Completed in 1975 | |||||||||
| Component highways | ||||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| Beltway around theIsland of Hawaiʻi | ||||||||||
| Major intersections | ||||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||
| State | Hawaii | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
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TheHawaiʻi Belt Road is a modern name for theMāmalahoa Highway and consists of Hawaiʻi state Routes 11, 19, and 190 that encircle theIsland of Hawaiʻi. The southern section, betweenHilo andKailua-Kona is numbered asRoute 11. The section between Hilo andWaimea isRoute 19. Between Waimea and Kailua-Kona, the road is split in two: the original "mauka" route (nowRoute 190) and a "makai" Route 19, completed in 1975, which serves as access to theKona andKohala Coast resorts. In theHawaiian language,mauka means "towards the mountain" andmakai means "towards the sea". These terms are commonly used in travel directions.
Parts of the southern half of the Hawaiʻi Belt Road were known during the Territorial days as theKaʻū Belt Road. The names "Hawaiʻi Belt Road" and "Māmalahoa Highway" refer to the road system that encircles the entire island; many sections are also referenced by local names.
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Māmalahoa Highway was named for the royal decree by KingKamehameha I after an incident he and his party experienced in 1783.
As he prepared to unite the islands ofHawaiʻi, Kamehameha I would conduct shoreline raids on the neighboringahupuaʻa (traditional land divisions). It was on one such incursion that the King's warriors encountered two local fishermen along thePuna coast. The two fled to warn others of the pending attack and Kamehameha and his men took chase. When they crossed alava field, one of the King's feet got caught in a crevice.
The fishermen, seizing the opportunity to retaliate, returned and attacked. In the ensuing brawl, one of the King's steersmen was killed and Kamehameha himself received a blow to the head that was so hard that it splintered the man's weapon – a solidkoa canoe paddle. The two Puna men escaped.
Kamehameha I opted not to retaliate but instead took this as a lesson: The strong must not mistreat the weak, his people must be assured protection from harm's way in their pursuits and that safe passage must be everyone's entitlement. A decade later, King Kamehameha I, upon reflecting on his deliverance that day in Puna and on the memory of his fallen warrior, proclaimedKe Kānāwai Māmalahoe – "The Law of the Splintered Paddle" – at Kahaleʻioleʻole in the Kaipalaoa area ofHilo.
Ke Kānāwai Māmalahoe | Law of the Splintered Paddle |
Ke Kānāwai Māmalahoe is considered such an importantlaw to theHawaiians that at the 1978Constitutional Convention it was added to theConstitution of Hawaiʻi. In it, the law protects the public and the safety of all who travel throughout the Islands, including fishermen, gatherers, hunters and visitors alike.
The Māmalahoa trail was a foot trail built in the nineteenth century, which developed into this highway. Various parts were widened and re-aligned over the years. Much of the Hawaiʻi Belt Road through North Hilo and Hāmākua districts was built on the roadbed and bridges of theHawaii Consolidated Railway as part of the recovery from a tsunami that ravaged the island's northeast coast in 1946.
In 2007, Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway was widened to four lanes from Henry Street in Kailua-Kona to Kealakehe Parkway. In September 2015, ground broke to extend the widening project from Kealakehe Parkway to Keāhole Airport Road, which provides access toEllison OnizukaKona International Airport. The project costed about $121 million and was finished on August 8, 2018.[2]
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The mile 0 marker is at the intersection of Kamehameha Avenue (Route 19),Banyan Drive and Kanoelehua Avenue inHilo. After about a mile is the intersection withPūʻāinakō Street (Route 2000), which connects to theSaddle Road. Route 11 then continues along Kanoelehua Avenue towardsKeaʻau where it becomes Volcano Highway near milepost 4 before crossing intoPuna District. Volcano Highway intersects with the terminus of Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road (Route 130) past mile 6 and Old Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road (Route 130), then continues through the towns ofKurtistown,Mountain View,Glenwood andVolcano Village.
Just beyond theKaʻū District line, the entrance toHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park at mile 28 marks another name change, back to Māmalahoa Highway. The two lane road crests (4,024 feet (1,227 m)) just before the mile 30 marker and then heads down a long downhill stretch through theKaʻū desert towards theblack sands ofPunaluʻu Beach Park, passingmacadamia orchards near the town ofPāhala at mile 51 and the Sea Mountain Resort inNīnole at mile 56.
Next areNāʻālehu (mile 63), the southernmost community in the US, andWaiʻōhinu (mile 65) which was a retreat forMark Twain. A winding uphill climb yields to a meandering country lane where South Point Road, near mile 69, leads toKa Lae (south point).
_between_Pahala_and_Hawaii_Volcanoes_National_Park_in_Hawaii_County%2c_Hawaii.jpg)
Another comfortable stretch of two lane road and a return to highway speeds begins past the mile 71 marker. Māmalahoa Highway crossesMauna Loa's 1907 Lava Flow — there is a scenic point at mile 75 — before passing throughOcean View between Tiki Lane and Aloha Boulevard. Just past mile 82 is theSouth Kona District line.
Starting at mile 89, Māmalahoa Highway has sharp curves and a steep drop-off along the coastal side. Many small fishing villages dot the coast, includingMiloliʻi,Pāpā Bay,Kona Paradise andHoʻokena. Themacadamia orchards soon give way to another tree crop. This isKona coffee Country.
Keala o Keawe Road (Route 160), just before mile 104, serves as access toPuʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historic Park andSt. Benedict's Catholic Church. Further along is the town ofCaptain Cook, named for the famed English explorerCaptain James Cook. Nāpōʻopoʻo Road (Route 160) leads down toNāpōʻopoʻo andKealakekua Bay, site of the monument to Cook's death.
After mile 111 come the towns ofKealakekua,Kainaliu andHonalo. At "Coffee Junction" (mile 114), Māmalahoa Highway continues straight and eventually becomes Route 180, Route 11 veers to left and becomes Kuakini Highway. A 5-mile (8.0 km) stretch from Honalo and then along the upper road until it rejoins the main Belt Road at Palani Junction is under consideration to be designated aNational Scenic Byway. It was called the Kona Heritage Corridor by the state.[3] A somewhat steep descent off Puʻuloa drops into the town ofKailua-Kona.
Just past Lako Street is where Kuakini Highway branches to the left and Highway 11 becomes Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway. In the vicinity of mile 121, Hualālai Road (Route 182, incorrectly signed as "180") crosses at an exaggerated angle (a rareconcurrent route). Route 11 finally reaches thecrossroads of the “Queen K” and Palani Road, pinpointing the termini of all three Hawaiʻi Belt Road route numbers.
Tucked away at the gates toHilo Wharf onKūhiō Street is the mile 0 marker for Route 19. One block later, it then turns right onto Kalanianaʻole Avenue, running between the waters of Hilo Bay and the Runway 8/26 ofHilo International Airport, before crossing Kanoelehua Avenue (Route 11) andBanyan Drive where the name changes to Kamehameha Avenue. Flanking theWailoa River (Hawaii) Bridge is the1960 Tsunami Memorial Clock with its hands frozen at the moment the killer waves struck early morning on May 23, 1960.
The highway continues along Kamehameha Avenue, paralleling a closed section of Bayfront Highway (used as access and parking for Hilo Bayfront Park), then turns right ontoPauahi Street before quickly turning left onto the open section of Bayfront Highway. Bayfront Highway, which serves as abypass for thedowntown business district of Hilo, is often closed to traffic by theHawaiʻi County Police Department in times of high surf.
Past the intersection with Waiānuenue Avenue (Route 200, known as theSaddle Road), Route 19 crosses over theWailuku River via a converted railroadplate girder bridge with a metal grate roadway that causes tires to “sing” as vehicles pass over it. Leaving Hilo, the route assumes the name Hawaiʻi Belt Road, leaving Māmalahoa Highway to the olderdecommissioned portions of the original thoroughfare. Many formersugarcaneplantation towns dot the highway, includingWainaku,Paukaʻa andPāpaʻikou.
Shortly after the mile 7 marker, part of the old Māmalahoa Highway crosses Hawaiʻi Belt Road. The road to the right leads down the “Onomea Scenic Drive,” a 4-mile (6.44 km)loop road that crosses several one-lane wooden bridges and past theHawaiʻi Tropical Botanical Garden overlooking Onomea Bay before returning to Hawaiʻi Belt Road at mile 10 inPepeʻekeō.
Hawaiʻi Belt Road meets the ruggedHāmākua coastline near mile 12. A left turn onto Honomū Road (Route 220) leads toʻAkaka Falls State Park, home of the namesake 442-foot (135 m) tall waterfall and the slightly shorter Kahūnā Falls. These waters empty in thePacific Ocean atKolekole Beach Park past mile 14.
TheHakalau Bridge carries Route 19 from the SouthHilo District to North Hilo District. A number of cascades are visible from the road on the “mauka” side of the highway. Umauma Falls lies inside theWorld Botanical Gardens, but two other falls are viewed from the Umauma Bridge (between mile 16 and mile 17). Between mile 18 and mile 19 is Nānue Stream with another picturesque waterfall.
The highway negotiates three sharp curves: Maulua (mile 22), Laupāhoehoe (mile 26) and Kaʻawaliʻi (mile 28). Maulua Gulch has a small waterfall emptying into the ocean (visible from the Hilo side by looking across the gulch) and another in the back part of the gorge near the base of the radio tower. Also, an abandoned railroad tunnel is sometimes visible from the Hāmākua side. TheLaupāhoehoe Railroad Museum is located on the “mauka” side past mile 25. On the other side of Laupāhoehoe Gulch, an access road leads down to Laupāhoehoe Point Beach Park where the victims of the1946 “April Fool’s Day” tsunami are memorialized.
TheHāmākua District begins on the opposite side of Kaʻula Bridge (mile 30). Highway speeds are now the norm but caution must be observed when crossing the narrow “Curved Bridge” near mile 32. This bridge was replaced in May 2010 by a new bridge with less curvature. Hamlets with names likeKūkaʻiau,Paʻauilo,Kalōpā andPāʻauhau were once homes forsugar plantation workers from places like thePhilippines,China andJapan.
Māmane Street (Route 240, mile 42) spurs off to the right to become themain street ofHonokaʻa before providing access toWaipiʻo Valley. Old Māmalahoa Highway branches uphill to wind through rugged hills ofĀhualoa and is a scenic but slower route toWaimea. Meanwhile, Hawaiʻi Belt Road makes its way throughfog-shroudedeucalyptus stands.
The Old Māmalahoa Highway rejoins Route 19 near mile 52 where they cross intoSouth Kohala District. Now again called Māmalahoa Highway, Route 19 continues into the town of Waimea (known as Kamuela by thePost Office), the headquarters forParker Ranch and the heart ofpaniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) country.
_at_Kahwai_Street_in_Waimea%2c_Hawaii_County%2c_Hawaii.jpg)
At mile 57, the route turns right onto Lindsey Road (seeRoute 190). One block down, Route 19 spurs left onto Kawaihae Road, past a row of restaurants and before starting downhill towards the coast. Just beyond mile 59 is a “Y” junction withKohala Mountain Road (Route 250) in front ofHawaiʻi Preparatory Academy.
QueenKaʻahumanu Highway begins at the "T" intersection withAkoni Pule Highway (Route 270) past mile 67 outsideKawaihae. Completed in 1975, “The Queen K” connects the resort properties ofMauna Kea Beach (mile 68), Mauna Lani (mile 73),Waikōloa Beach (mile 76) and Kaʻūpūlehu (mile 87) with theKeāhole-Kona International Airport (mile 83) and the town of Kailua-Kona. Some beaches includeHāpuna, Holoholokai,ʻAnaehoʻomalu, Makalawena,Kekaha Kai State Park andKaloko-Honokōhau.
The terminus of Route 19 is at the crossroads of Palani Road (Route 190) at mile 100 where Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway continues asRoute 11.
_just_south_of_Puu_Lani_Drive_in_Pu%2527uanahulu%2c_Hawaii_County%2c_Hawaii.jpg)
The continuation of Māmalahoa Highway from the Lindsey Road (Route 19) intersection is the beginning of Route 190 with the mile 0 marker posted on the corner. This was the original Hilo-to-Kona link which served as Highway 19 until the route was reassigned in 1975 to the newly opened Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway along the coast.
The road subsequently runs pastCamp Tarawa, theParker Ranch headquarters and theWaimea-Kohala Airport before traversing the rollingpasturelands of theSouth Kohala District.
Few intersections are found along the next 20 miles (32.19 km).Saddle Road (Route 200) comes to its western terminus near mile 6 andWaikōloa Road ends its 12-mile (19.31 km) climb from Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway at Māmalahoa Highway's mile 11 marker. There are some sharp curves as the old road passesPuʻu Lani Ranch (mile 20) in Puʻuanahulu and the entrance to Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Reserve. A long narrow strip ofasphalt stretches across the windsweptrangelands andlava fields covered withfountain grass.
As the road passes through a stand ofeucalyptus andʻohiʻa trees near mile 31, the upland neighborhoods of the NorthKona District come into view:Kalaoa, Kona Palasades Estates, Koloko Mauka and Honokōhau. On the other side of mile 35, atraffic light at the top of Hina Lani Street provides access to aCostco store.
At a 3-way intersection, the Māmalahoa Highway turns left and becomes Route 180, while Route 190 continues straight, becoming Palani Road. Palani descends steeply towards Kailua-Kona, making many quick turns and narrow curves. Palani Road meetsQueen Kaʻahumanu Highway, marking the end of the route, though Palani Road continues downhill to its junction with Kuakini Highway and Aliʻi Drive.
The entire route is inHawaii County.
| Location | mi[4][5][6] | km | Destinations[4][5][6] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilo | 0.00 | 0.00 |  Route 19 (Kamehameha Avenue) /Banyan Drive –Hilo,Honokaa | Route 19 transitions to Route 11 | |
| 0.70 | 1.13 |  Kekuanaoa Street –Hilo International Airport | |||
| 1.90 | 3.06 |   Route 2000 west (Pūʻāinakō Street) | Eastern terminus of Route 200; toPrince Kūhiō Plaza | ||
| Keaau | 6.70 | 10.78 |   Route 130 south (Keaʻau Bypass Road) –Pahoa,Kalapana | Northern terminus of Route 130 | |
| 7.30 | 11.75 |  Route 139 south (Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road) –Keaau | Northern terminus of Rotue 139 | ||
| Volcano | 26.40 | 42.49 |   Route 148 north (Wright Road) –Volcano | Southern terminus of Route 148 | |
| Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | 28.40 | 45.71 | Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park | Access via Crater Rim Drive | |
| Pahala | 51.40 | 82.72 | Kamahi Street (Route 15 south) –Pahala | Northern terminus of Route 15; servesKaʻu Hospital | |
| 52.20 | 84.01 | Maile Street (Route 15 north) | Southern terminus of Route 15 | ||
| Waiohinu | 69.50 | 111.85 | South Point Road –South Point | ||
| Hookena Beach | 101.10 | 162.70 | Hoʻokena Beach Road (Route 10 west) | Eastern terminus of Route 10; serves Hoʻokena Beach | |
| Keokea | 103.60 | 166.73 |  Route 160 west (Keala o Keawe Road) –Puuhonua,Honaunau | Eastern terminus of Route 160 | |
| Captain Cook | 110.20 | 177.35 | Route 160 south (Nāpōʻopoʻo Road) –Kealakekua Bay | Northern terminus of Route 160; servesNāpōʻopoʻo | |
| Honalo | 113.70 | 182.98 |  Route 180 north (Māmalahoa Highway) –Keauhou | Southern terminus of Route 180 | |
| Kahaluu-Keauhou | 114.40 | 184.11 | Kamehameha III Road (Route 185 south) –Keauhou Bay | Northern terminus of Route 185; to Aliʻi Drive | |
| Kailua-Kona | 120.40 | 193.77 | Hualālai Road (Route 182 east) –Holualoa | Western terminus of Route 182 | |
| 121.97 99.49 | 196.29 160.11 |   Route 190 east (Palani Road) /Route 19 north (Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway) –Waimea,Airport,Kawaihae | Route 11 transitions to themakai route (Route 19); western terminus of themakua route (Route 19) | ||
| Kalaoa | 97.50 | 156.91 |  Route 197 (Kealakehe Parkway) –Honokohau Harbour | ServesKealakehe High School | |
| 92.90 | 149.51 | Keāhole Airport Road –Kona International Airport | |||
| Kawaihae | 66.90 | 107.67 |  Route 270 north –Kawaihae,Hawi | Southern terminus of Route 270; servesNorth Kohala | |
| Waimea | 59.00 | 94.95 |  Route 250 north –Hawi | Serves and Kahuā Ranch | |
| 56.90 | 91.57 | Route 190 south (Māmalahoa Highway) –Kona,Kawaihae | Northern terminus of themauka route (Route 190) | ||
| Honokaa | 42.00 | 67.59 |  Route 240 west –Honokaa,Waipio | Eastern terminus of Route 240; servesHāmākua Coast, Waipiʻo Valley,Kukuihaele | |
| Honomu | 13.50 | 21.73 |  Route 220 west (Honomū Road) –Honomu,Akaka Falls | Eastern terminus of Route 220 | |
| Hilo | 2.60 | 4.18 |  Route 200 west (Waiʻānuenue Avenue) –Downtown Hilo | No access from Route 19 northbound; eastern terminus of Route 200 | |
| 1.00 | 1.61 |  Route 11 north (Kanoelehua Avenue) /Banyan Drive –Airport,Volcano | Hawaiʻi Belt Road transitions to Route 11; Route 19 continues east | ||
| 0.00 | 0.00 | Kahuhane Avenue / Kalanianaole Avenue east | Terminus of state maintenance | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
The entire route is inHawaii County.
| Location | mi[7] | km | Destinations[7] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waimea | 0.00 | 0.00 | Route 19 (Māmalahoa Highway) –Hilo,Kawaihae,North Kohala | Northern terminus at themakai route | |
| 6.20 | 9.98 | Route 200 east (Saddle Road) | ToMauna Kea,Mauna Loa | ||
| Palani Junction | 35.30 | 56.81 | Route 180 south (Māmalahoa Highway) –Holualoa | Northern terminus of Route 180 | |
| Kailua-Kona | 38.97 | 62.72 | Route 11 south /Route 19 north (Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway) –Airport,Kawaihae,Volcano | Eastern terminus at themakai route | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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| Browse numbered routes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
← Route 10 | | → Route 13 | ||
← Route 18 | | → Route 21 | ||
| ←Route 160 | | →Route 197 | ||
