Hawaii Belt Road

Hawaiʻi Belt Road
Māmalahoa Highway
Map
Map of the Island of Hawaiʻi with the Hawaiʻi Belt Road highlighted in red and blue
Route information
Maintained by HDOT and HCDPW
Length260.43 mi[1] (419.12 km)
  • 121.97 mi (196.29 km) via Route 11
  • 99.49 mi (160.11 km) via Route 19
  • 38.97 mi (62.72 km) via Route 190
Existed1783–present
HistoryCompleted in 1975
Component
highways
Major junctions
Beltway around the Island of Hawaiʻi
Major intersections
Location
CountryUnited States
StateHawaii
Highway system
Route 8940 Route 19
Route 11 Route 30
Route 160 Route 197

The Hawaiʻi Belt Road is a modern name for the Māmalahoa Highway and consists of Hawaiʻi state Routes 11, 19, and 190 that encircle the Island of Hawaiʻi. The southern section, between Hilo and Kailua-Kona is numbered as Route 11. The section between Hilo and Waimea is Route 19. Between Waimea and Kailua-Kona, the road is split in two: the original "mauka" route (now Route 190) and a "makai" Route 19, completed in 1975, which serves as access to the Kona and Kohala Coast resorts. In the Hawaiian language, mauka means "towards the mountain" and makai means "towards the sea". These terms are commonly used in travel directions.

Parts of the southern half of the Hawaiʻi Belt Road were known during the Territorial days as the Kaʻū Belt Road. The names "Hawaiʻi Belt Road" and "Māmalahoa Highway" refer to the road system that encircles the entire island; many sections are also referenced by local names.

  1. ^ Hawaii Department of Transportation (October 2016). "State DOT Road Inventory" (ESRI Shapefile). Retrieved July 31, 2019.