Makanali Bridge - Hāna Highway

The first sixteen miles of the Hāna Highway are signed as Route 36, a primary state highway.  Route 36 ends in Ha'iku as the road becomes a secondary state highway marked as route 360 to Hāna.  While Route 36 is a modern two-lane highway, Route 360 was constructed in sections years ago to replace a wagon road.  Many of the older bridges were built in 1911 and 1912, with the oldest bridge was built in 1908.  Other bridges were built in the 1920s and a couple were built in the late 1940s.  The alignment has not been substantially changed or widened since then.  The result is 620 curves and 42 one-lane bridges along Route 360.  

Just over eight miles from the Ha'iku end of Route 360 is the Makanali bridge.  Of the 42 one-lane bridges, there is nothing particularly noteworthy about it other than it has a small pull-out at both ends and typically spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.  This concrete span was built in 1928 and is 16 feet wide.  We stopped during our February 2014 visit simply because we could park safely off the road and enjoy the view.  What we found just upstream of the bridge was the Center Ditch, part of the network of irrigation ditches and tunnels carved through the mountains to provide water for the sugar cane plantations.

Makanali Bridge

Vegetation on the rock cut above the highway

Irrigation water flowing out of a tunnel on the Center Ditch

Makanali stream at Center Ditch

Makanali upstream of the irrigation project

Trash rack keeps debris from entering the Center Ditch

Irrigation water flows into a tunnel on the Center Ditch

Makanali Gulch below the bridge

There is no website for the Hāna Highway.