Pali Road is 11 miles long, located on Oahu Island, Honolulu, Hawaii. It is, in fact, the third roadway that had been constructed along the Koolaus and Nuuanu Valley. A trail along the cliffs (created during the early 1800s) was the original way (outside of canoeing) to transport goods between Honolulu and the windward side.
As this was a dangerous route, it was widened in 1845. Now, the road was six feet wide and paved with stones. This was perfect for the main form of transportation: carts and horses. While the road was safer, it was still dangerous.
In 1896, the road was widened with dynamite and repaved by order of the legislature. Johnny Wilson, a civil engineer, was the head of the project. Wilson would later be elected as mayor of Honolulu.
At the turn of the century, the road was further widened to allow for trucks and automobiles. While there were plans for a tunnel on the road before World War II, the tunnel didn’t get built until May 1957. This was opened to one-way traffic and later expanded to allow two-way traffic (August 1, 1961).
Historical Marker Inscription
Constructed in 1897 and opened for public traffic in 1898. The road has an average grade of eight percent and is 8800 feet long. The original survey was made by John H. Wilson under supervision of William E. Rowell Superintendent of Public Works, W.W. Bruner Highway Engineer both of the Republic of Hawaii. Completion of the job was due to the vision and ability of John H. Wilson and Louis M. Whitehouse. They did the work under contractor for the Republic of Hawaii. This tablet commemorates the Fiftieth Anniversary and is erected by the City and County of Honolulu January Twentieth, 1948.
Roy E. King Sculptor
Location
21° 22’ 1.830” N, 157° 47’ 35.682” W
Nuʻuanu Pali Tunnel, Kaneohe, HI 96744, United States
Historical Markers of the World 