Hanalei Road on

National Register of Historic Places

Hanalei Roads Committee announced in 2003 that Kuhio Highway Route 560 (Princeville to Ke`e)  is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 10-mile section of road is one of about 100 roads nationwide that meet criteria for inclusion on the National Register. National Register properties are distinguished by having been documented and evaluated according to uniform criteria to help government, agencies and others identify important historic and archeological properties worthy of preservation and of consideration in planning & development.

Route 560 was found to be significant in two areas, according to co-chair Barbara Robeson.

The road corridor embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction, and it is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

Eric Knudsen wrote in his 1895 journal: “A wagon trail ended in Hanalei, so after Hanalei, travelers kept to the shoreline where the rivers were easiest to cross.” Today, Route 560 includes 13 historic bridges and culverts, mostly one-lane, a couple with some very unusual features. Waipa is two different widths (narrowing on the Ha'ena side) and Waikoko, partially collapsed in 1946’s tsunami, was repaired by simply filling in the fallen down side so a new surface and walls could be built.

Along the road, the surviving wood guardrails and rock guard walls contribute to a sense of our community’s character and history. From Hanalei to Ha'ena, our one-lane bridges slow our pace and add to the sense of discovery one feels, even if just driving home as you have countless times before.

To learn more about National Register of Historic Places visit: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/.

Hanalei Roads Committee:
PO Box 369, Hanalei, HI 96714, ph: (808) 826-9370