None of the roads and highways in the state of Hawaii currently charge a toll for their use; but that could change if Senate Bill Number 217 is officially enacted into law — and if so, which road would become the first toll road in Hawaii?
The First Toll Road in Hawaii?
“The director of transportation shall designate as a toll road, and impose toll charges for the use of, the portion of Hana highway from mile marker thirty-two to mile marker forty”, according to the text within the bill., which “authorizes the Director of Transportation to designate as a toll road, and impose toll charges for the use of, any existing state highway. Requires the Director of Transportation to designate as a toll road a certain portion of Hana Highway. Requires the Department of Transportation to develop a plan to exempt resident vehicle operators from the imposition of toll charges for the use of Hana Highway.”
Hana Highway — which is also known as the Road to Hana, Hawaii State Highway 36, or Hawaii State Highway 360 — is a very scenic road on which at times can be unpleasant to drive for much of its length of 64.4 miles. It connects Kahului to the town of Hana along the northeastern coast line of the island of Maui. The winding mountain road comprises of at least 617 curves — many of them sharp…
…and the historic narrow road — with its 59 concrete and steel bridges that have been in use for as many as 115 years — is often no wider than one lane, which means that drivers of motor vehicles in opposing traffic must yield to each other. Some of the road is not developed. The harrowing driving experience can take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.
The purpose of designating the iconic Hana Highway as a toll road is similar to that of the congestion pricing program in the city of New York: it is designed to discourage tourists who have overwhelmed the road with significantly more traffic than it was designed to handle. With numerous waterfalls, lush tropical greenery, vast scenery from various lookouts, sandy beaches along the Pacific Ocean, and points of interest to see and experience, stopping at every place along the road is impossible to do in one day.
No official date has been designated yet as to when Hana Highway could become a toll road, as the bill must overcome some obstacles before it can successfully become a law.
Final Boarding Call
I have driven on Hana Highway years ago; but even though traffic was likely more manageable then than today, it was still a long and tiring — yet memorable — experience.
However, Senate Bill Number 217 would allow the authority to designate “any existing state highway” as a toll road — so it would not be limited to Hana Highway. Interstate H1, Interstate H2, Interstate H3, and Interstate H201 could also someday be designated as toll roads.
By the way: if the designation of highways in Hawaii as interstate highways drives you crazy as it does me — as in how can they be interstate highways if they do not connect to any other state — you might be interested in this article from the Federal Highway Administration of the Department of Transportation of the United States…
Source: Google Maps.
