For Immediate Release
Ala Mauna - Saddle Road Dedication
Mile Post 19 - 28
Hilo, Hawaii - Members of the Saddle Road Task Force, a citizen advisory group, federal, state and county government officials, and island residents will gather on Thursday, December 11, 2008 to dedicate the next segment of Saddle Road.
U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye will deliver the keynote address with remarks by Federal Highway Administration, Rick Suarez, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi and Walter Kunitake of the Saddle Road Task Force. This is phase two of the newly aligned Ala Mauna Saddle Road and now completes roughly 17 miles of the East - West connector for Hawaii Island.
“On Thursday we will be delighted to see the next phase of this important highway completed and is the results of many years of meaningful work on this project,” said Walter Kunitake, co-chair of the Saddle Road Task Force. We’d like to thank Senator Dan Inouye for his tireless efforts on behalf of the citizens of Hawaii County.”
Saddle Road Construction Project
Ala Mauna - Saddle Road, the most direct route between the east and west sides of the island, is the shortest route, yet carries one of the highest accident rates of any road of its classification in Hawai‘i. The Saddle Road improvement project will make the road safer and easier to use by eliminating narrow lanes, limited lines of sight, numerous roadside hazards such as bridge parapets, rough road edges, and limited drainage during rain storms and military vehicles frequently crossing the road as it passes through the Pohakuloa Training Area.
Ala Mauna Saddle Road History and Use
Ala Mauna, the traditional name for this early transportation route, served native uses of the Humu‘ula area of Hawai‘i island including bird catching and adze quarrying. They were replaced by sandalwood harvesting and hunting wild cattle, and ultimately by ranching and astronomy. Over time, travelers whose only choice was once ancient footpaths, shifted to horses and wagons, then to automobiles. Roadways were improved and travel time shortened.
In 1943, the original Saddle Road was built as a gravel roadway first constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the US Army Corps of Engineers for access to the island’s interior in the event of a Japanese invasion during World War II. Then in 1949 the Saddle Road was completed as a paved road.
What began as a military access road has since become an important cross-island link between East and West Hawaii. Saddle Road also provides the only paved access to Mauna Kea Science Reserve International Observatory Complex, Pohakuloa Training Area Base, Mauna Kea State Park as well as access to public lands and forest areas for hunting, gathering and ranching.
Construction funding for the Saddle Road improvement project is being made available from several sources: U.S. Department of the Army, Defense Access Road Program and Ecosystem Management Program, U.S. Congress, and Hawaii Department of Transportation. Construction of the remainder of the Saddle Road project will be phased as funds become available.
For more information contact Skylark Rossetti at (808) 935-2180.