How to Travel Oahu’s Interstates

If you've visited Hawaii before and think you've noticed all the lightly inhabited roads there are, think again. Oahu has its interstates too. If you need to experience these interstates (H1, H2, H3, H201), learn what you will encounter with the details provided in this article.

1

Travel Interstate H1.

  1. There's a lot to this 20.16 miles (32.44 km) interstate [1] . Interstate H1 - also called the Queen Lili'uokalani and Lunalilo Freeways - is the main interstate on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It runs along the towns comprising those along the southern side of the island. It avoids the exterior barrier islands just to the south of Oahu's bottom center edge. However, it also encompasses a run past Hawaii's capital city - Honolulu - and even encompasses several landmark attractions (Pearl Harbor attack area, Punchbowl Crater, now-dormant Aloha Stadium) within it but no exit has full access to the interstate (some exits are entrance onto the interstate while the other direction will have exit privileges from the interstate). The entire route is within Honolulu County. [2]
    • The route begins at the end of the Hawaii-93 - the Farrington Highway - near the Campblell Industrial Park in Kapolei and heads east on a jagged path past Makakilo and Waipahu and the Oahuan lochs - West Loch, East Loch, Merry Loch, Quarry Loch, etc and Ford Island - until it reaches Pearl City, Aiea and Halawa Interchange and begins to head on a more WSW direction and it begins to turn soon after Hickam Air Force Base and Pearl Harbor. It enters Honolulu as it heads east, passing the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) on its north (encountering this interstate's only auxiliary interstate route twice), then after the eastern-most second auxiliary interstate "exit", it begins to trek southeast until it reaches Waikiki and just past the Pali Highway exit and it turns to a more southeast direction until it reaches Kahala and the Kahala Mall and ends shortly after that in Waialae-Kahala as it turning into HI-72 (Kalanianaole Highway) and where that route begins.
    • Driving within Kapolei encounters these exits. From the terminus at Farrington Highway, you'll have exits for Kalaeloa Blvd and Airport (exit 1A), Wakea St (exit 1B), and Wet n' Wild Hawaii on Farrington Highway (exit 1E), Makakilo Drive towards Kalaeloa Airport (exit 2), and Kualakai Parkway (exit 3).
    • Driving within Waipahu encounters these exits. HI-750 and HI-76 (exit 5), Waikele and Waipahu (exit 7), Farrington Highway and Kamehameha Hwy towards Pearl City (exit 8A), Interstate H2/HI-7101/HI-99 (exit 8B, though the interstate is signed as exit 8A westbound) and Kamehameha Hwy (exit 8C)
    • Drive within Waimalu. You'll encounter a single exit for Waimalu-Pearlridge-Pearl City (exit 10).
    • Drive within Aiea. You'll encounter exits for H201 W (for eastbound) or Interstate H3 E to Interstate H201 E (westbound).
    • Drive within Halawa. You'll have an exit for Halawa Heights and Stadium (exit 13B).
    • Drive within Honolulu. Exits exist for Nimitze Hwy E (exit 15), Kamhameha Hwy (exit 15A), Nimitz Highway W (exit 15B), Airport (exit 16), Nimitz Hwy towards Waikiki (exit 18A), Middle St (exit 18B and 19A), Interstate H201 W (exit 19B), Likelike Hwy (exit 20A), Houghtaling St and Vineyard Blvd (exit 20B), Palama St (exit 20C), School St, Pali Hwy (exit 21A), Punchbowl St (exit 21B), Vineyard Blvd W and Kinau St (exit 22), Lunalilo St, Punahou St (exit 23), Bingham St-Wilder Ave (exit 24A), University Ave and Univesity of Hawaii at Manoa (exit 24B), King St (exit 25A), Kapolani Blvd and 6th Ave (exit 25B), Koko Head Ave (exit 26A), Waialae Ave (exit 26B), Kilauea Ave (exit 27) and it's eastern terminus at Kalanianaole Hwy on an at-grade intersection as HI-72.
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2

Travel Interstate H2.

  1. Interstate H2 (or Veterans Memorial Freeway) is a 8.33 miles (13.41 km) interstate [3] that carries travelers from the main interstate H1's exit 8 to places to its northwest - on the northwest portion of the island - to where it terminates at HI-99 near Schofield Barracks.
    • From its entrance on Interstate H1 at the Walawa Interchange adjacent to Leeward Community College, it travels mostly north through Waipio and the Waipio Solar Project - a plot of undeveloped solar farmland (following the Pãnakauahi Gulch in the Ko'olsau Range) - and picks up Ka Uka Blvd and crossing Ko'olau Range and Kipapa Gulch and into Mililani's Meheula Parkway. It narrows to reach Wahiawa and passes the Wheeler Army Airfield then travels a little more until it reaches its end point where it continues west as Wilikina Dr to Schofield Barracks as HI-99.
      • Most travelers on this route recording the route to YouTube report the travel time as less than 15 minutes. However, times may differ, depending on your needs.
    • Travel in Pearl City. In Pearly City, it'll have its primary exit at Interstate H1. However, from H2, its exits are numbered 1A for Interstate H1 going east and from H2 exit 1B going Interstate H1 west.
    • Travel in Waipio. In Waipio, there's one exit (exit 2) that is for Ka Uka Blvd. Exits and entrances were provided in both directions.
    • Travel in Milliani. In Milliani, there's an exit for Milliani Mauka for Milliani Town. However, its main access is through the Meheula Parkway but signed as separate sub-exits for Mauka (5A) and Town (5B) on the northbound route.
    • Travel in Waipio Acres. In Waipio Acres (exit 7), the HI-99 route exits begin. HI-99 is going north towards Leilehua Golf Course Road, Mililani Tech Park, and the Wheeler AAF.
      • However, it's exits are mixed up! The exit is only found for exiters going north, while its entrance is for those heading south. [4]
    • Travel in Wahiawa. In Wahiawa, find two exits (exits 8, and 9) for both North and South on HI-99. Exit 8 is for Route 99 heading towards Wahiawa while Exit 9 is for Kamehameha Hwy.
      • Exit 8 has its north exit off of HI-80, while Exit 9 only has an exit off the southbound lanes and an entrance onto the highway from northbound.
    • Watch as this Interstate continues onto HI-99 as Willikina Dr.
3

Travel Interstate H3.

  1. Interstate H3 (or John A. Burns Freeway) is the last major interstate on the island covering 15.32 miles (24.66 km) [5] . It travels mostly parallel to the Oahu auxiliary route H201 (and even intersects it towards its beginning having criss-cross interstates), but does travel towards a different end after that strange beginning - even crossing under two Oahuan rock slabs through two tunnels (more on that later) - its eastern terminus is at the military base's entrance and special clearance passes are needed to get onto the base.
    • Although this interstate starts a tiny bit south of H201's Halawa Interchange at Interstate H1 exit 13 (adjacent to Aloha Stadium) just northeast of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Pearl Harbor National Memorial going east only traveling with the boundaries of Halawa Stream as it intersects with two interstates connecting one to the other and with other exits between them. H3 (which starts just south of H201), by the time it passes the Halawa interchange and meets the next exit for the auxiliary (H201), it passes under and runs mostly northeast going past Salt Lake and the Ko'olau Range then on the Windward Viaducts past Camp HM Smith, several streams and into two tunnels - the Tetsuo Harano and Hospital Rock Tunnels (curving into an S-curve between the two tunnels) - then heading through the side of Ha'iku Valley until Kaneohe, Halekou and Kauila Interchange southeast past Moku Mo'o and the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden and curving back up to pass the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetary/Hawaii Pacific University Hawaii Loa Campus then travels northeast again past the Kawainui Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, past a Scenic View (for eastbounders only) and into causeway lanes past Kaneohe Bay with Nu'upia Pond and into the Kaneohe Bay Drive and Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH).
      • Most travelers on this route recording the route to YouTube report the travel time as less than 15 minutes. However, times may differ, depending on your needs.
    • This interstate was the most expensive Interstate Highways ever built on a cost-per-mile basis at $1.3B (1997 cost).
    • Travel in Aiea. In Aiea, there are technically three exits. Although there is only one exit from Interstate H1 E at its terminus (exit 13 on Interstate H1), H3's exits happen for H1W at exit 1A, but there is no exit for eastbound on H1 here. It then travels to H201 East at exit 1B (when there is no westbound H201 exit, and the H201 exit 1C), but there's also one other for Stadium, Camp Smith, Halawa at Interstate H3's exit 1C - but it has access via route HI-7241.
    • Cross through the set of Tunnels. Although both tunnels lead you through the Ko'olau Range, the first tunnel - the Tetsuo Harano Tunnel - is the longest of the two tunnels [6] then into a smaller-sized Hospital Rock Tunnel - but leading up to shows the markings of a foresty-tunnel dug the Hawaiian way.
    • Travel through Kaneohe. There are technically four exits in Kaneohe. The first - at exit 9 - is for HI-63 (Likelike Hwy) with only an eastbound exit and westbound entrance, the second - at exit 11 - is for HI-83 (Kamehameha Hwy) towards Kaneohe and North Shore, the third - at exit 14 - is for HI-630 towards Kailua but signed as HI-65 and a separate exit for Kaneohe Bay Drive - just before the base.
    • End this route at the MCBH base. With special clearances, you can enter the base. All others are told to leave this area and directed accordingly.
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4

Travel Interstate H201.

  1. Interstate H201 - the Moanalua Freeway - is the 4.1 miles (6.6 km) auxiliary route [7] for Interstate H1. It runs technically from a portion of HI-99 (which almost routes it at Interstate H1's exit 13A) near Aloha Stadium and the H1 interchange at Interstate H1's exit 19B (almost between two exits of Interstate H1). It mostly runs southeast but runs through mountainous terrain to avoid the downtown Honolulu traffic - even towards the beginning passing over Interstate H3 in this same southeast fashion between Aiea and western Honolulu just after the downtown Interstate H1 comes up to meet H201 then curves and heads runs towards the Hawaiian Punchbowl. Exits are sporadically numbered, but mileage isn't very long at only 4.6 miles (7.4 km). [8]
    • This route runs northeast along the side of Salt Lake from a junction with Aloha Stadium and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam past Halawa shortly after getting on then runs into Interstate H3 in a more eastern fashion, then starts curving avoiding Red Hill to travel through Moanalua as it passes Moanalua Hillside Apartments and in a more southeast direction as it passes Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, US Department of Veterans Affairs and Tripler Army Medical Center past Moanalua Gardens, and industrial area and bisects Fort Shafter, to near Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church on an Interstate H1 interchange on the Lunalilo Freeway.
      • Most travelers on this route recording the route to YouTube report the travel time as less than 15 minutes. However, times may differ, depending on your needs.
    • Travel with Aiea. In Aiea, there are exits at their terminus for HI-99 W for westbound travelers and an unnumbered exit for Stadium-Aiea for westbound travelers, followed by an eastbound only exit for Interstate H1 East (exit 1A) towards Honolulu International Airport and Pearl Harbor, or shortly thereafter for Interstate H1 to H2 with exiters only traveling westbound on H201.
    • Travel in Halawa. In Halawa, you'll have exits for Stadium-Halawa-Camp Smith (exit 1B) eastbound (without an entrance going westbound on H201 and signed as exit 1E westbound and access off Kahuapaani St), and an exit for Interstate H3 E towards Kaneohe at the secondary exit 1C (or 1D on Interstate H201 westbound and no entrance from the west and exit 1B on Interstate H3).
    • Travel in Honolulu. Technically just north of Honolulu, you'll have exits for Moanalua Valley-Salt Lake-Red Hill (exit 2), Puuloa Rd for Tripler Hospital, Moanalua Gardens and the Airport (exit 3), and Fort Shafter-Ahua St or King St (exit 4) dependent on direction with King St having only an eastbound exit and westbound entrance.
    • Conclude the auxiliary route at Interstate H1 E towards Honolulu. This exit is unnumbered but is exit 19B on Interstate H1.

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      Tips

      • The Oahuan interstates don't take the same nomenclature that interstates in the continental US do. They take the numbered which is reflected in the order they were funded and built. [9] Although H-2 stays true to its even numbering going north-south, the rest aren't true to continental US numbering having odd numbers running east-west.
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      • Remember that Hawaii's two-digit state code is HI. So whenever you see HI mentioned in this article, it stands for Hawaii's shortened code - not for the greeting you might have seen it for.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-1
      2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-1
      3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-2
      4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-2
      5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-3
      6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-3
      7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-201
      8. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-201
      9. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-1

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