Former Hawaii Route 1970

Hawaii Route 1970 was an approximately 1-mile state highway which was located in Hilo on the Big Island. The corridor Hawaii Route 1970 began at Hawaii Route 19 near the Port of Hilo entrance. The highway looped back to Hawaii Route 19 near the Hilo International Airport Cargo Entrance via Silva Street and Kamehameha Avenue. Functionally Hawaii Route 1970 was commissioned between 2002-2004 and was relinquished in 2012 following a Federal Aid classification.

Part 1; the history of former Hawaii Route 1970

According to Oscar Voss's hawaiihighways.com Hawaii Route 1970 was first proposed on a 1967 Hawaii Department of Transportation document. The corridor was planned as following Kamehameha Avenue and Silva Street east from Air Cargo Entrance of Hilo Internationa Airport to the entrance of the Port of Hilo. The highway reported appeared on a 1976 map as Hawaii Route 19, but this cannot be corroborated on any known United States Geological Survey map or commercial map of the era.

The corridor of Hawaii Route 1970 was officially added to the Big Island state highway system sometime between 2002-2004. The corridor appears to have never been signed in-field and existed merely as a state highway maintenance vehicle.

Hawaii Route 1970 last appears on 2012 Hawaii Department of Transportation Federal Aid Classification update. The highway was then classified as a Principle Arterial and was being downgraded to a Minor Collector. The rationale for the downgrade was the presence of Hawaii Route 19 along Kalanianaole Street.

Hawaii Route 1970 does not appear on the 2022 Hawaii Department of Transportation inventory for the Big Island.

Part 2; a drive along former Hawaii Route 1970

Former Hawaii Route 1970 begins at the intersection of Hawaii Route 19/Kalanianaole Street and Silva Street in Hilo.

The former routing of Hawaii Route 1970 followed Silva Street and Kamehameha Avenue west along the boundary of Hilo International Airport. The highway ended at a roundabout which connected with Hawaii Route 19 and the Cargo Entrance to Hilo International Airport.

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