Interstate H-201
Interstate H-201, also known as the Moanalua Freeway, is a tertiary Interstate highway located in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. The 4-mile loop route connects exits 13 and 19 on Interstate H-1, passing Fort Shafter, Tripler Army Medical Center, and Red Hill.
Despite being designated an Interstate in 1989, until recently the route was a "hidden" Interstate signed only as State Route 78. Interstate signs started appearing in mid-2004. (The section of the Moanalua Freeway between Kamehameha Highway (state route 99) and Interstate H-1 remains designated solely as route 78.) See Notes below for further explanation.
Length
Major cities, towns, and sites along the route
Intersections with other interstates
Notes
The Federal Highway Administration approved the addition of Interstate H-201 to the Interstate Highway System on November 1, 1989. The Hawaii Department of Transportation asked that the Moanalua Freeway be reclassified as an Interstate so that the interchange with H-1 at the eastern end could conform to federal highway standards.
At first, the highway was initially designated H-1A, but federal highway policy does not allow alphabetic suffixes in Interstate numbers. The final designation, H-201, conforms to the general rules for three-digit Interstate "loop" routes.
Until 2004, the state Department of Transportation chose not to sign H-201 as such, instead retaining the designation Hawaii route 78. Reasons given include:
- inability to render the new route number in a legible manner (it is necessary to use the thinnest font to render the number, as seen above)
- encouraging motorists to use the newer and better designed H-1
- avoiding confusion with Interstate H-2
In July 2004, in conjunction with a major resurfacing of both sides of the freeway, it was decided to bring the signage in line with the official designation.
