Interstate H-1 (abbreviated H-1) is the longest and busiest
Interstate Highway
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
in the US state of
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. The highway is located on the island of
O‘ahu
Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O’ ...
. Despite the number, this is an east–west highway; the 'H'-series (for Hawaii) numbering reflects the order in which routes were funded and built. H-1 goes from
Route 93 (Farrington Highway) in
Kapolei
Kapolei () is a planned community in Honolulu County, Hawaiʻi, United States, on the island of Oʻahu. It is colloquially known as the "second city" of Oʻahu, in relation to Honolulu. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau ...
to
Route 72 (Kalanianaole Highway) in
Kāhala. East of Middle Street in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
(exit 19A), H-1 is also known as the ''
Lunalilo
Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo; January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874) was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later.
Born to Kekāuluohi and High Chief Charles Kanaʻina, ...
Freeway'' and is sometimes signed as such at older signs in central Honolulu. West of Middle Street, H-1 is also known as the ''
Queen Liliuokalani
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
Freeway''; this name is shown on some roadmaps. It is both the southernmost and westernmost signed Interstate Highway located in the United States.
Route description
Interstate H-1 begins near the Campbell Industrial Park in the town of
Kapolei, Hawaii
Kapolei () is a planned community in Honolulu County, Hawaiʻi, United States, on the island of Oʻahu. It is colloquially known as the "second city" of Oʻahu, in relation to Honolulu. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau ...
. West of this point, Hawaii State Route 93 (Farrington Highway) continues toward
Waianae
Waianae () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 13,614.
Its name means "waters of the mullet". Its etymology is shared with the far northern Wellington subu ...
. The freeway continues east, passing the community of
Makakilo
Makakilo () or Makakilo City is a census-designated place and residential area located in the Ewa District on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, United States. In Hawaiian, ''maka kilo'' means "observing eyes". As of the 20 ...
until reaching the junction with SR 750 (north to Kunia) and SR 76 (south to
Ewa Beach
Ewa or EWA may refer to:
Places
; Ethiopia
* Ewa (woreda)
; Nauru
* Ewa District, Nauru
; United States
* Eastern Washington, the portion of the state of Washington east of the Cascade Range
* ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii, a census-designated place
* E ...
).
[
H-1 then continues along the northern edge of ]Waipahu
Waipahu () is a former sugarcane plantation town and now census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 43,4 ...
approximately until its junction with Interstate H-2
Interstate H-2 (H-2, named the Veterans Memorial Freeway) is an intrastate Interstate Highway located on the island of O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. The north–south freeway connects H-1 in Pearl City to Mililani and Wahiawā, whe ...
. It then continues east through the towns of Pearl City
Pearl City is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District and Honolulu County, Hawaii, City & County of Honolulu on the Island of Oahu, Oahu. As of the United States 2010 Census, ...
and Aiea
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...
for approximately to the complex Halawa Interchange, where it meets Interstates H-3 and H-201. The highway then turns south for two miles (3 km), then east soon after the exits for Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged in 2010 with Naval Station Pearl Harbor to become part of the newly formed Joint ...
and Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
. At this point, the highway runs along a viaduct above State Route 92 (Nimitz Highway), passing to the north of Honolulu International Airport
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport , also known as Honolulu International Airport, is the main airport of Oahu, Hawaii.[Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...](_blank)
street maps and USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
topographic map
In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large- scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation), but historic ...
s, accessed December 2007 vi
ACME Mapper
/ref>
Two miles past the airport exit, three lanes exit the freeway at exit 18A to join Nimitz Highway toward Waikiki, while half a mile later the remaining two lanes make a sharp turn south as H-1 reaches another major interchange with the east end of Interstate H-201
Interstate H-201 (H-201) is the only auxiliary Interstate Highway located outside the Contiguous United States, serving the island of O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The H-201 designation is also known as the Moanalua Freeway. The loop rout ...
. Access is provided by a left exit from H-1 east only. H-1 west does not have access to H-201 at this point.
From here H-1 runs through the city of Honolulu along a series of underpasses and viaducts. A flyover interchange leading to downtown Honolulu has a westbound exit and an eastbound entrance. H-1 ends in the Kahala district of Honolulu near Kahala Mall, where State Route 72 (Kalanianaole Highway) ends.
During morning commute hours on weekdays, an eastbound contraflow express lane is deployed from just west of exit 7 to exit 18A, where it connects to the beginning of the Nimitz Highway
Route 92 is a major east–west highway on the island of Oahu which begins at exit 15 off Interstate H-1 (H-1) in Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu and ends east of the Ala Wai Canal crossing in Waikiki. The western portion, west of Richards Stre ...
contraflow lane. The H-1 contraflow lane is often referred to as a "zipper lane" due to the use of a movable concrete barrier and a zipper machine. The H-1 and Nimitz Highway contraflow lanes are restricted to buses, motorcycles, and vehicles with two or more occupants while in operation.
History
A set of Interstate Highways serving O‘ahu were authortized by the federal government in 1960, a year after Hawaii was admitted as a state. One of the corridors, connecting Barbers Point to Diamond Head, was designated as Interstate H-1 by the Bureau of Public Roads
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
(now the Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
) on August 29, 1960. The portion of H-1 that runs through downtown Honolulu had opened in 1953 as the ''Mauka Arterial'' and was incorporated into the new freeway. This section has been largely unchanged since its inception and its design suffers from having too many on/off ramps, short distanced on-ramps, and on-ramps that enter the freeway almost immediately before an off-ramp (opposite of current design standards). The 'new' section of H-1 was, however, built to modern freeway standards.
Construction on the first new section of H-1 began in 1963, shortly after alignments were approved for most of the freeway. The Lunalilo Freeway, already planned by the state government and funded with a 50 percent match from the federal government, was incorporated into plans for H-1 in 1965 following the rejection of five other proposed routings. The westernmost section of H-1 in Makakilo opened on September 29, 1966. The Kapiolani Interchange, opened in October 1967, filled a gap between two sections of the Lunalilo Freeway spanning in Honolulu. Another gap in H-1 was filled in March 1969 with the opening of between Kunia Road (Route 76) and the Waiawa Interchange with H-2.
The Hawaiian Interstate shields have gone through several changes. Early shields contained the hyphen as per the official designation (e.g. H-1); however, these shields have been updated with the hyphen removed (e.g. H1). As in other states across the contiguous United States, early interstate shields also included the writing of 'Hawaii' above the interstate route number and below the 'Interstate' writing. While the "Queen Liliuokalani" section of the Interstate H-1 has signs designating it as such (one eastbound at exit 1, the other westbound after exit 19), there are no similar name signs for the Lunalilo Freeway portion (the remainder of the freeway).
Interstate H-4
In the 1960s a fourth freeway that would have been Interstate H-4 (H-4), was proposed for the city of Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
. The intent of H-4 was to provide relief to the congested H-1 through downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...
. Had it been built, the route of H-4 would have started at exit 18 (H-1/Nimitz Highway interchange) and followed the Honolulu waterfront to the Kapiolani interchange (exit 25B). The idea, however, was unpopular and the freeway was never built.[
]
Exit list
Auxiliary routes
*A portion of the Moanalua Freeway is designated as Interstate H-201
Interstate H-201 (H-201) is the only auxiliary Interstate Highway located outside the Contiguous United States, serving the island of O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The H-201 designation is also known as the Moanalua Freeway. The loop rout ...
. Until mid-2004, it was signed as Route 78
The following highways are numbered 78:
International
* AH78, Asian Highway 78
* European route E78
Australia
* Waterfall Way- New South Wales State Route B78
China
* G78 Shantou–Kunming Expressway, G78 Expressway
Iran
*Road 78 (Iran), Ro ...
.
References
External links
Exit List for Interstate H-1
{{interstates
H1
Interstate Highways in Hawaii
Transportation in Honolulu County, Hawaii
Monuments and memorials to Liliʻuokalani