Non-contiguous route
H-3
Halawa to Kaneohe
Length15.3 mi
Designated1997
States1
Junctions2
About H-3
Also known as John A. Burns Freeway.
From Halawa, HI (H-1) to Kaneohe, HI (Marine Corps base)
Interstate H-3 is a roughly 15-mile freeway on Oahu that connects the leeward side of the island near Pearl Harbor with the windward coast at Kaneohe. It begins at an interchange with Interstate H-1 in the Halawa area, climbs across the steep Koolau Range, and descends to its eastern end at the main gate of Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Kaneohe Bay. The route was built primarily to link military installations on opposite sides of the island.
The defining feature of H-3 is its crossing of the Koolau Range, accomplished with long elevated viaducts and the Tetsuo Harano Tunnels, a pair of bores more than five thousand feet long that pass through the mountain ridge, along with the shorter Hospital Rock Tunnels. The engineering required to carry a freeway over and through this rugged volcanic spine made the project one of the most demanding road builds in the country.
H-3 is widely cited as the most expensive Interstate Highway ever constructed on a cost-per-mile basis, with a total cost around 1.3 billion dollars. Like the other Hawaii routes it is officially named, in this case the John A. Burns Freeway after a former governor of the state.
State-by-state mileage
| State | Miles |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | 15.3 |
| Total | 15.3 |
History
Interstate H-3 opened on December 12, 1997, after decades of planning, litigation, and opposition. Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, environmental groups, and community organizations fought the project over its impact on sacred sites and the natural landscape, and an earlier proposed alignment was blocked by a successful challenge that forced the route to be relocated.
The long delays and the difficulty of the mountain crossing drove the cost far above that of any comparable Interstate mileage, cementing its reputation as the costliest Interstate per mile.
Major cities and places
HalawaAieaKaneohe
Notable features
- Tetsuo Harano Tunnels through the Koolau Range
- Hospital Rock Tunnels
- Elevated viaducts across the Koolau Range
Did you know
- It opened in 1997 after decades of legal and community opposition.
- It is regarded as the most expensive Interstate per mile ever built.
- It crosses the Koolau Range through the Tetsuo Harano Tunnels.
- It was built largely to connect military bases on opposite sides of Oahu.
- It is officially named the John A. Burns Freeway.