Waiohonu Bridge, Spanning Waiohonu Stream on Hana Highway (County Route 31), Puuiki, Maui County, HI

See also HAER No. HI-75, Hana Belt Road, for additional documentation.
Significance: The Waiohonu Bridge is a contributing element to the Hana Highway Historic District and is one of fifty-nine bridges and numerous culverts constructed along this route between 1908 and 1947. The bridge and roadway achieve state and local significance in the areas of engineering, transportation, commerce, and social history under criteria A and C. Waiohonu Bridge, a concrete deck bridge, is a good example of early reinforced-concrete bridge construction in Hawai`i. Concrete deck bridges, including flat slab and girder spans, are the most common County-built bridge type found in the islands. The bridge is a product of the Territorial Loan Fund program (ca. 1911-1915), and represents the County's investment in permanent improvements requiring the mobilization of skilled labor and public funds. These bridges are significant as products of a new system of bridge design undertaken by professional engineers working for the County, rather than being left to the responsibility of the builder. Contractor John H. Wilson (who later served six terms as Mayor of Honolulu) built this bridge and roadway, in partnership with Lincoln L. McCandless. They were also responsible for the first section of the Nu`uanu Pali Road on O`ahu and part of the belt road on the Island of Hawai`i. The construction of a road and bridges to Hana between 1900 and 1947 opened East Maui to settlement, agricultural enterprises, and tourism. The Hana Belt Road retains the highest concentration of unaltered and stylistically consistent highway bridges in Hawai`i.
Survey number: HAER HI-71
Building/structure dates: 1915 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 01000615