Hawaii Route 560 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Route 560
Kuhio Highway
Route 560 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by HDOT
Length	10.01 mi (16.11 km)
Existed	Late 1960s–present
History	2004: Added to the NRHP
Major junctions
East end	Route 56 in Princeville
West end	Dead ends at Ha'ena State Park
Location
Counties:	Kauai
Highway system
Routes in Hawaii ← Route 550 Route 570 →
Kaua'i Belt Road--North Shore section
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Bridge over Hanalei River, November 2009
Location in Hawaii
Location	Route 560 Princeville, Hawaii United States
Built	1900
Architect	J.H. Moragne, R.L. Garlinghouse, et al.
NRHP reference No.	03001048
Added to NRHP	February 11, 2004

Route 560, also known as the Kauaʻi Belt Road—North Shore section, is a 10-mile (16 km) long road on the northern coast of the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaii. This beautiful road is part of the larger Kuhio Highway. It was once called Hawaii Route 56, but its name changed to Route 560 in the late 1960s. The Kuhio Highway is named after Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, an important leader from Hawaii. In 2004, Route 560 was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its special history and design.

Exploring Route 560: A Scenic Drive

Route 560 starts in Princeville, where the main Route 56 ends. As you drive, the road goes downhill towards the Hanalei River. There are many lookout points where you can stop and enjoy amazing views of the river valley and the northwestern shore of Kauaʻi.

Journey Through Hanalei

The road then takes you through Hanalei, which is the only major town along this route. You will also pass by the famous Hanalei Bay. This road actually follows an old foot trail that was used by people in ancient Hawaii long ago.

Early records show that people traveled this area a long time ago. In 1849, William DeWitt Alexander wrote in his diary about living at the Waiʻoli mission, which you can still see along the road today. In 1865, William Tufts Brigham noted that boats were used to cross the rivers. The Hanalei Pier is located just north of the road on the bay. Years ago, the valley was filled with rice fields, and the Haraguchi Rice Mill is one of several mills built near the river.

Navigating One-Lane Bridges

As you continue, the road sometimes becomes narrow. You will cross eleven one-lane bridges. The first five of these bridges were built way back in 1912! County engineers J. H. Moragne and R. L. Garlinghouse oversaw the building of these bridges and the paving of the road throughout the 20th century.

Many of these bridges have limits on how much weight they can hold, and some are even made of wood. When you approach these bridges, traffic must yield. It's a common practice for cars to take turns crossing. Usually, one side lets about five to seven cars pass before the other side goes. The road gets even narrower as you get closer to the Nā Pali Coast. Route 560 eventually ends at Haʻena State Park.

History of Route 560

In the 1960s, there were plans to extend Route 560 all the way to Route 550. This would have allowed people to drive all the way around the entire island. However, these plans were stopped because of worries about the environment and because there wasn't enough traffic to make it necessary.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation had also planned to replace the old one-lane bridges with wider two-lane bridges. But this plan was also dropped in 1987. The area is very popular for filming movies, but this can sometimes cause traffic jams since there are no other roads to use.

The Hanalei River Bridge Project

Instead of replacing all the bridges, a big project began to renovate the Hanalei River bridge. A local community group worked with the Hawaii Department of Transportation to make this happen. They built a new bridge using a design called a Pratt truss, which looked just like the original one-lane bridge from 1912.

The new bridge was officially opened in November 2003. A stronger structure from the 1960s was kept under the roadway to support the heavier weight of modern cars and trucks. Because of its historical importance, Route 560 was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hawaii on February 11, 2004.

Images for kids

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  Route 560 eastbound between Hanalei and Princeville