The history of the bridges in the Hakalau Kuleana (along the coast and extending mauka between Belt Highway Mile Markers 14 to 20) is summarized using personal accounts, newspaper articles, photos from the Lyman Museum, descriptions and pictures from the  Hawaii State Historic Bridge Inventory and Evaluation (2013), Bridgehunter.com and other sources. 

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​The Hakalau Kuleana, the territory of the former Hakalau Plantation, is situated along the coast between Hilo and Honokaa. Ethnographer Kepā Maly describes Hakalau in a cultural impact survey of Hakalau, setting the stage for understanding the enormous challenge of building bridges in this area:

Traditionally, Hakalau is in an area once called Hilo-Palikū (Hilo of the upright cliffs), an area that extended from the bank of the Wailuku river to the Ka'ula gulch, which served as the division between Hilo and Hamakua. Because of the numerous streams, valleys and gulches, several sayings were used to describe the region, which at times, was treacherous to travel through. One saying describes the region:
 
0 Hilo-Palikū kahi i 'olelo 'ia ai-Pau ke aha I ka hele o Hilo, he !au  ka  pu'u,  he mano ka ihona, he kini na kahawai, a e 'au no ho'i  ka wai o Hilo  a pau  ke aha,  a'ohe e pau ka waif
 
Of Hilo-Palikū ​ it is said - One becomes short of breath traveling through Hilo, for there are many [400] hills, many [4,000] areas to descend, and many [40,000] streams to cross; indeed, while swimming through the waters of Hilo one becomes out of breath, but one is never out of water at Hilo.

Read Kepā Maly's Complete Report

In Six Months in the Sandwich Islands, Isabella Bird recounts her 1873 experience crossing the Hakalau Gulch by horseback: 

...Then we reached the lofty top of the great Hakalau gulch, the largest of all, with the double river, and the ocean close to the ford. Mingling with the deep reverberations of the surf, I heard the sharp, crisp rush of a river, and of "a river that has no bridge".

In 1892, the North Hilo Road Board submitted an editorial protesting recommendations by the Public Lands Committee and demanding fairness in allocation of resources for roads and bridges. Their description of the conditions in North Hilo, including Hakalau Gulch, are below:

Evening Bulletin, October 30, 1892, accessed via Newspapers.com

Obviously bridges were needed to support the sugar industry, other commerce, and residents and tourists traveling from one place to another. This was no easy task.

Building bridges in the Hakalau Kuleana, with its gulches and abundant rain was and continues to require major engineering feats. Bridge maintenance and repair were and continue to be major, costly and time-consuming undertakings for which there appears to be too little capital, too few workers, and a multitude of funding, legal, and coordination hurdles stalling the work. 

Materials used changed over time from wood, to steel, to cement.  Major storms, earthquakes, tsunamis and the corrosive power of flowing water pose major threats to bridges. The carrying capacity of old wooden bridges was and still is no match for the weight of commercial vehicles, including fire engines and ambulances. 

Complaints from residents about bridge safety and the inconvenience resulting from bridge closures are common...and started with the building of the first bridges. 

Bridges are the the lifelines for the populations along this coast. The potential for being stranded, cut off from access to either Hilo and/or Waimea is real.

Where are the bridges in the Hakalau Kuleana?

In the Hawai`i State Historic Bridge Inventory and Evaluation 2013, provides the most complete information regarding bridges, including changes over time in construction methods and materials, financing, and legal authorities. The Hamakua Coast bridges, including those of the Hakalau Kuleana, are described:

Hawaii Island contains by far the greatest concentration of historic bridges, perhaps due to its rural nature and consequent lack of development, and an abundance of land for alternate transportation routes without the destruction of older bridges and roads. Most of the Big Island's bridges are located along the Hamakua Coast, north of Hilo, due to its abundant rainfall and innumerable streams and gulches. In the 42.5 mile stretch from Hilo to Honokaa on FAP (Federal Aid Primary Route) 19, there are fifty‐one bridges, more than one bridge per mile. Remnants of the Mamalahoa Highway, the former belt road which runs parallel to the new highway, serve as a sort of "bridge museum" with examples of almost every remaining bridge type in the islands, including some of the oldest and rarest bridges found in the islands. A number of early masonry (lava‐rock) arch bridges dating from 1894‐1903 are located along the Mamalahoa Highway and are the oldest remaining bridges in the state.

Within the Hakalau Kuleana, the bridges which still exist and/or are known to exist include...

Along the Highway 19, the Belt Highway

Bridge reports are available on the National Bridge Inventory. Click on the link for each of our bridges listed below:

Belt Highway Bridges

• Kolekole Stream Bridge
• Hakalau Stream Bridge
• Umauma Stream Bridge
• Nanue Stream Bridge
• Ninole Stream Bridge

Old Mamalahoa Bridges

• Kolekole Stream Bridge--currently closed
• Ka`ahakini Stream Bridge--currently closed
• Old Railroad Crossing Bridge
• Hakalau Stream Bridge--currently closed
• Umauma Stream Bridge
• Opea Stream Bridge
• Nanue Stream Bridge
• Waikaumalo Stream Bridge

Left to Right: a) Kolekole Stream Bridge on the Belt Highway today, completed December 1950, opened to traffic after completion of the highway up to Chin Chuck Road, May 25, 1951; b) ​Hakalau Stream Bridge on the Belt Highway today, opened April 1953; c) ​Umauma Stream Bridge on the Belt Highway in 2017. Originally built in 1911, then replaced in 1952 and underwent complete rehabilitation in 2013-2017

Nanue Bridge on the Belt Highway today, opened 1952

Along Old Mamalahoa Highway

Source: Hawai‘i State Historic Bridge Inventory & Evaluation 2013, https://historichawaii.org/resource-center-2/library/hawaii-state-historic-bridge-inventory-evaluation-2014/

Waikamalo Stream Bridge today, built 1930

Nanue Stream Bridge today, built 1930

Opea Stream Bridge today, built 1912

Umauma Stream Bridge today, built 1920

Left to Right: a) Hakalau Stream Bridge on Old Mamalahoa Highway circa 1930, built in 1930. Photo from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family; b) Hakalau RR Crossing Bridge today, built 1930; c) Ka`ahakini Stream Bridge today, built 1929. Photo courtesy of Department of Public Works; c) Kolekole Stream Bridge today, built 1929

Some Bridges Don't Appear on Official Bridge Lists

Bridges might not appear on official lists if they are located on private property or on Roads in Limbo.  One such road is Kanna Road, known also as Broken Bridge Road and Chicken Farm Road. It extends from Chin Chuck Road to Kaiwiki Homestead Road. This is a wooden bridge and, as the alternative name "Broken Bridge' suggests, Broken Bridge Road, provides a clue that there might have been some problems with the bridge in the past.

​Roads in Limbo (RIL) were built or, planned by the State or the Territorial government.  They are classified into either existing or paper roads.  For decades, the State and County government argued over maintenance responsibility because of limited resources. 

The Kanna Road bridge over the Ka`ahakini Stream is the only route available to residents of Kaiwiki Homestead (as of October 30, 2020). Photo courtesy of Susan Forbes

Before and after photos of the Kanna Road Bridge provided by the Department of Public Works after completing bridge rehabilitation in 2016. Photos courtesy of the Hawaii County Department of Public Works

How did bridge construction change over time? 
​Wood, Steel and Concrete

Over time, the materials used to construct bridges changed, along with the bridge styles and methods of construction.

• Wood rots and cannot support heavy vehicles and loads.

1896:

Hawaii Herald, November 12, 1896, accessed via Newspapers.com

1904:

The Hilo Tribune, April 29, 1904, accessed via Newspapers.com

1905:

The Hilo Tribune, September 12, 1905, accessed via Newspapers.com

1907:

Hilo Daily Tribune, July 9, 1907, accessed via Newspapers.com

Example: Hakalau Gulch Camp and Its Covered Bridge

Hakalau Gulch Camp with a covered bridge in the background on the left, where the 1930s bridge is now. Photo taken sometime between 1911 and 1929. Photo courtesy of the Lyman Museum

The wooden covered bridge over Hakalau Stream, located of the left side/middle of the picture above and in the close-up below, was replaced circa 1907 and then again with a concrete bridge in 1930. It's unknown whether the picture depicts the original wooden bridge or the replacement bridge.

Close-up of the covered bridge over Hakalau Stream.

• Concern for the safety of wooden bridges was heightened  by recognition of that the weight limits of wooden bridges were (and are) about half that of concrete and steel bridges. Heavy vehicles using the wooden bridges created the hazard. 

Hawaii Tribune Herald, March 11, 1930, accessed via Newspapers.com

Read the Article

• The hazard continues today, although steps are taken to strengthen the wooden bridges and engineers reassess weight limits.

Hawaii Tribune Herald, March 25, 1936, accessed via Newspapers.com

• Steels rusts...

1918:

Hawaii Tribune Herald, February 11, 1918, accessed via Newspapers.com

1919:

Hawaii Tribune Herald, July 31, 1919, accessed via Newspapers.com

• Cement became the material of choice

1918:

Hawaii Tribune Herald, February 11, 1918, accessed via Newspapers.com

More

Hawaii Daily Tribune, February 8, 1918, accessed via Newspapers.com

1929:

Hawaii Tribune Herald, November 18, 1929, accessed via Newspapers.com

1930:

Hawaii Tribune Herald, September 29, 1930, accessed via Newspapers.com

What is the impact of our environment on bridges?

• The weather and natural disasters wreak havoc:

Hawaii Tribune Herald, August 12, 1940, accessed via Newspapers.com

---

• Heavy rains and major storms wreak havoc on bridges. The old wooden bridges are particularly vulnerable.
• The Waikaumalo bridge below and the bottom picture to the right was wiped out during a storm and flood on March 3, 1939, rebuilt, and then wiped out again by another storm and flood on August 11, 1940.

Waikaumalo Bridge washed out during heavy rains in March 3, 1939. Photo courtesy of the Lyman Museum.

Related Articles on Storm Damage

Waikaumalo Stream Bridge in December 2020, photo courtesy of Susan Forbes

The storm was Sunday, August 11, 1940. Hawaii Tribune Herald, August 16, 1940, accessed via Newspapers.com

• Flowing water undermines bridge foundations:

• Tsunamis are extreme examples of flowing water.  On April 1, 1946, a tsunami caused considerable damage, collapsing the center section of the Kolekole railroad bridge. The destruction from this tsunami led to the dissolution of the Hawaii Consolidated Railroad and increased reliance on heavy trucks.

Before

Kolekole Railroad Bridge taken prior to 1923.

After

Kolekole Railroad Bridge after the April 1, 1946 tsunami. Photo from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family.

Yet Another View of After

Photo from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family

More about the 1946 Tsunami

• The ​March 2016 inspection report of the 1930 bridge on Old Mamalahoa Highway crossing Hakalau Stream found that the land under the foundation on the north side was undermined by flowing water. The bridge was closed in February 2017 and repair work was completed in September 2018. The road leading to this bridge remains closed, however, due to lead contamination at the Hakalau Bay Park.

Underwater Bridge Inspection for Hakalau Stream Bridge, Prepared for the Hawaii County Department of Public Works, March 2016.

• The closure of the Ka`ahakini Bridge on October 30, 2020 resulted from the widening channel of the Ka`ahakini Stream which has undermined the foundations of the bridge.

Ka`ahakini Stream Bridge, photo courtesy of Susan Forbes

• Earthquakes can cause bridges to collapse or be rendered structurally unsound.​​​

• The October 15, 2006 6.7 earthquake spared the bridges in the Hakalau Kuleana and warned what could happen.

Hawaii Tribune Herald, December 28, 2006, accessed via Newspapers.com

Bridge Building and Repairs...Never Ending Challenges...And Never Enough Money...And Essential

• The late 1920s was a busy period for engineers inspecting the bridges, evaluating appropriate materials and design for replacements, and seeking the funds to make the necessary changes. 

1928:

Hawaii Tribune Herald, June 22, 1928, accessed via Newspapers.com

Hawaii Tribune Herald, July 14, 1928, accessed via Newspapers.com

Hawaii Tribune Herald, November 21, 1928, accessed via Newspapers.com

Hawaii Tribune Herald, December 3, 1928, accessed via Newspapers.com

Read the Articles

• 1929-1930 marked a major concrete bridge building period, replacing many wooden bridges. The Hakalau Kuleana benefitted with the building of the Hakalau Stream Bridge, the Kolekole Stream Bridge (not the railroad bridge, but down by Kolekole Park), and Ka`ahakini Stream Bridge. Nanue Bridge followed shortly thereafter.

Hawaii Tribune Herald, December 28, 1929, accessed via newspapers.com

Read the Article

1929 - Kolekole and Ka`ahakini Stream Bridges on Old Mamalahoa Highway

Kolekole Stream Bridge

Kolekole Stream Bridge, built 1928. Photo taken December 1, 2020, courtesy of Susan Forbes

Ka`ahakini Stream Bridge

Ka`ahakini Stream Bridge, built 1929, photo taken November 8, 2020, courtesy of Susan Forbes.

Hawaii Tribune Herald, September 29, 1930, accessed via Newspapers.com

1930 - Nanue Stream Bridge and Hakalau Stream Bridge on Old Mamalahoa Highway

Hawaii Tribune Herald, May 6, 1930, accessed via Newspapers.com

Nanue Stream Bridge, built 1930, located on Old Mamalahoa Highway. Photos courtesy of Susan Forbes, taken December 1, 2020.

Hakalau Stream Bridge on Old Mamalahoa Highway

Hakalau Stream Bridge, 1930, from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family.

Hawaii Tribune Herald, December 28, 1929, accessed via Newspapers.com

• The next major bridge building period followed the tsunami of April 1, 1946. On the Belt Highway, former railroad bridges were replaced with highway bridges at Kolekole (May 25, 1951) and Hakalau (April 17,1953). The dates listed are the dates the bridges were dedicated and open to traffic.

Hawaii Tribune Herald, June 10, 1951, accessed via Newspapers.com

Hawaii Tribune Herald, June 10, 1951, accessed via Newspapers.com

More About These "New" Highway Bridges