In addition, Ryan Ozawa's new HawaiiRoads. Malamapono's Home Page , and another article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin just before H-3's completion , describe the objections of some native Hawaiians to the H-3 project particularly its routing through the Halawa Valley, the legendary birthplace of the Hawaiian earth mother Papa, and its impact on many ancient Hawaiian temples and other sites there and some east of the mountains , and their belief that Interstate H-3 has been subjected to a "hewa" curse as a result.
You can't say you haven't been warned! However, the funny stuff that supposedly occurred during construction seems to have died down once the freeway was opened -- H-3 has a sophisticated accident monitoring system due to its relatively remote location, and maybe the gods don't like to perform on camera ;- Go to the previous or next parts of the Hawaii Highways road photos collection:.
A scenic view of Kaneohe Bay, from the H-3 viaduct exiting the Tetsuo Harano tunnels through the Koolau Range, showing why H-3 is widely considered one of the nation's most beautiful Interstates.
For environmental and historic preservation reasons, H-3 was built mostly as tunnel or viaduct. September Interstate H-3's west end is technically at the junction with the Moanalua Freeway Interstate H, back when it was signed as state route 78 , though driving straight ahead through the junction will take you onto long ramps to westbound and eastbound Interstate H The photo on the left is an overview of the junction, from the westbound roadway north of the junction. The photo on the right shows the unmarked formal end of H-3, 0.
The appeals court had ruled that the secretary of transportation erred in not issuing a statement that there was no feasible and prudent alternative route for the freeway than through the Moanalua Valley. The state in changed the route to the North Halawa Valley, taking the freeway several miles farther west of downtown Honolulu. A new environmental impact statement was prepared. The resumption of construction was blocked again in when the U.
Supreme Court left intact an appeals court ruling that transportation officials had not adequately justified building the freeway through Hoomaluhia Park. Ironically, the acre park--built as part of a federal flood-control project--was conceived years after the freeway route was chosen. Daniel K. Inouye D-Hawaii won congressional approval in of an extraordinary environmental exemption for the H-3, making it immune to future lawsuits based on environmental concerns.
Discovery of Hawaiian archeological sites in the path of the freeway and its interchanges during construction resulted in several expensive realignments. In , Bishop Museum archeologists, working under a contract with the state, came upon two brush-covered sites in North Halawa Valley. He was fired. In , the Damon family—who had inherited large parts of the land in Moanalua Valley—set up the Moanalua Gardens Foundation and submitted an application to the U.
Following a ruling in , which sided with protecting Moanalua Valley as a historic landmark, the H-3 Highway had to find an alternative route—after years of environmental impact studies and papers which, when stacked on top of one another, had reached a height of four feet. This would lead the H-3 to being stuck in a legal quagmire for a handful of years, with Native Hawaiians coming together to form lawsuits against the state and halting construction due to environmental concerns.
Fast forward to , over two decades since the H-3 began its planning, and Senator Daniel K. Inouye makes a significant move. Senate voted in favor of the exemption for the H-3 project as an addition to a Department of Defense budget bill. At the time, HDOT planned to have a similar event the following year.
More than 17, people from all over the world participated by running, walking, or pushing strollers. Because the event fell on Mother's Day, samples of the tiles used in the H-3 tunnels were adapted as Mother's Day souvenirs. The culmination of a year effort occurred on Dec. The ceremony and the associated logistical and public relations arrangements took almost a year to plan, coordinate, and implement.
Participation in the event was by invitation only because of limited space and safety considerations. The speakers arrived by car, but all others were shuttled by buses from the parking lot at Aloha Stadium to the ceremony site outside the tunnels. Before the ceremony, the guests were entertained by a Marine Corps band, and the media conducted interviews with key people in the process.
The windward portals of the trans-Koolau tunnel. At 11 a. The first part of the program consisted of the Oli "oh' lee" , an ancient Hawaiian ceremony. The Oli could be described as a chant-prayer, and it is usually performed at the beginning of an event. There are different kinds of Oli for different purposes, such as a naming Oli or a welcoming Oli. This group of native Hawaiians had fought the project for years, but they believed that it was time to make peace with the freeway.
They were concerned that the highway was cursed and might adversely affect native Hawaiians who drove on it. Therefore, they asked for permission to conduct the Oli to cleanse the freeway of any curses that remained.
A state-of-the-art traffic operations center, staffed all day, every day, monitors traffic conditions in the tunnels and can detect vehicular fires, and crashes. After the solemn Oli, during which no flash pictures were taken, the event took on a lighter tone. The masters of ceremony for the rest of the program were popular morning radio hosts Michael W.
Perry and Larry Price. The speakers included Gov. Jeff discussed the beauty of Hawaii and the highway, the importance of the safety and mobility improvements and of planning for future development in central and western Oahu, and the state-of-the-art technology. She also praised the partnership that made it all happen.
At the end of the program, the Rev. David Kaupu, chaplain of Kamehameha Schools, gave a blessing for the freeway.
The final portion of the formal program was the untying of the Maile Lei "my' lee lay". This is the equivalent of the ribbon-cutting in a ceremony on the "Mainland.
For that reason, it evokes the "specialness" of Hawaii. Because of its special nature, the Maile Lei is never cut. Rather, it is tied when the object has not yet come to life, and then untied to represent "coming to life. After the untying ceremony, the speakers' cars and then the buses took the official "first ride" on the new freeway. The motorcade proceeded back to Aloha Stadium for an informal reception and refreshments.
The guests were greeted by music from a Navy band. The Navy band that provided the post-ceremony music represented Pearl Harbor Naval Base on the leeward side. The Marine band that provided the pre-ceremony music represented the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station on the windward side. The symbolism here should not be lost because H-3 connects the two military bases, as well as facilitating civilian travel between the two sides of the island.
The high-tech tunnels feature transitional tunnel lighting, exhaust fans, emergency call boxes, cross passages, highway message signs, lane control devices, fresh air vents, runoff drains, fire boxes, magnetic loop detectors, carbon dioxide detectors, smoke detectors, traffic signals, video cameras, sidewalks, and weather stations.
The official opening of the freeway to traffic was scheduled for 3 p. This was done deliberately to prevent eager motorists from lining up at the ramps in an attempt to be first to drive on the new road. The ramps were opened in a specific sequence by teams of the HDOT staff and local police officers. This opening sequence operated so well that Manthos likened it to a ballet. In fact, the entire day went like clockwork, and Manthos considers the opening day to be his proudest H-3 achievement.
He finds it especially gratifying that all the obstacles were overcome to meet an opening date that was set almost a year in advance. Area engineer Brian Yoshida was the primary coordinator.
Yoshida thanked several companies that provided the tents, buses, refreshments, and other items that cannot be legally paid for by the state. He specifically praised Parsons Brinckerhoff, Kiewit Construction, and Hawaiian Dredging for their invaluable assistance. Herb Tateishi of Parsons Brinckerhoff played an important role in the success of the event. Everything - from determining the location of tents, restrooms, and parking to developing the contingency plan in case of rain and designing the traffic patterns - was under his care.
In addition, he acted as a facilitator for the other contractors and coordinated their respective contributions. The Hawaiian Islands may be famous for their colorful traditions, but Hawaiians are ready to be among the leaders in the development and use of technology.
The Interstate H-3 freeway is a an excellent example of using modern technology to serve the needs of the traveling public. One example is the North Halawa Valley Viaduct. Yoshida considers the completion of this structure to be his proudest H-3 moment.
This is the longest segmental bridge in the United States, and it is the first to be fully instrumented. The instrumentation is important because it allows the viaduct to serve as a research project. The five-year research project, which began three years ago, will enhance understanding of actual "long-term creep and prestress losses in segmental bridges" and of the accuracy of the design models.
Basically, the instruments measure the stresses in the structure under various conditions, and the results of the study will be used to verify design assumptions. Specifically, this work will assist in evaluating the computer programs that were used to design the structure.
FHWA is providing percent of the funding for this project. H-3 is truly a "smart highway.
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