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Pali, Likelike or H-3?

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  • Pali, Likelike or H-3?

    I was doing some errands in Kaneohe this past week, when driving back to town, I actually stopped and thought for a minute to decide which highway I should take to get back there.

    I didn't have anything to do afterward on the leeward west side, so H-3 was immediately out.

    My destination was back to our office which is near downtown, so then I thought, if I took Likelike, I'd either have to fight traffic on H-1 to get from Kalihi to downtown. Or, take the Kalihi street cutoff and drive down King Street east-bound, dealing with all the traffic lights and construction work along the way in the Palama area. If I wanted to stop somewhere in the area to get lunch (like, oh say Richie's Drive Inn or Kiawe Grill), not a problem, but I already had lunch.

    So it made perfect sense that I take Pali highway, as that's the most direct route to downtown from the windward side...


    Driving on Pali Highway heading into downtown

    Another plus to Pali Highway, is I think it's a better scenic route, as there's great birds-eye view of Kaneohe and Kailua from there on the windward side, as well as nice view of the homes and religious monuments on the town side....


    Driving on Pali highway through Nuuanu

    Here's a quick set of pros and cons to consider with each of these highways:

    Likelike highway
    Pros:
    • Centrally-located in Kaneohe and fastest to get on from there.
    • Most direct route to the airport and Mapunapuna from the windward side
    • Nice view of the Koolau mountains, especiallly when it rains and there's waterfalls!
    • Lower elevation level ideal for those who have fear of heights (especially for the driver)
    Cons:
    • Must get on H-1 in order to get to town or farther east, or:
    • Must drive through urban Kalihi and fight traffic lights and on/or ongoing construction projects
    • Wilson Tunnel is LOOOOONGGGGGG (especially a problem for those who are claustrophobic)
    • No scenic lookouts to stop and take pictures

    Pali Highway
    Pros:
    • Most direct route to downtown Honolulu and farther east from the windward side
    • Most direct route from town to Kailua town
    • Beautiful scenic route, including lookout stops overlooking Kaneohe and Kailua, as well a nice drive through Nuuanu
    • Pali Tunnel (2) is short
    Cons:
    • High elevation and suspended roadway could be a problem for those who fear heights
    • Hairpin turn and windy roadway on windward side can be hazardous if not careful
    • Stop lights on town side of highway as you get closer to town

    H-3 Freeway
    Pros:
    • Most direct route from the windward side to Pearl City, Aiea, Pearl Harbor and the rest of the west side of Oahu
    • Incredible view of Kaneohe Bay from the elevated roadway suspended high above Haiku valley
    • Wider lanes and higher 60 MPH speed limit (it's a freeway)
    Cons:
    • Extremely elevated above sea level roadway could be a problem for those who fear heights
    • Super-looooooooonnnngggggg Tunnel could be a problem for those who are claustrophobic (or tunnel-phobic)
    • Drive on the town side of tunnel through Halawa Valley seems endlessly long

    Which highway through the Koolau mountains from the windward side of Oahu to the leeward side do you most often choose to drive and why?
    36
    Pali Highway
    19.44%
    7
    Likelike Highway
    27.78%
    10
    H-3 Freeway
    41.67%
    15
    None of the above. It get around from the North Shore or Makapu'u side
    2.78%
    1
    None of the above. I have a helicopter, hot air baloon or other means
    8.33%
    3
    Last edited by Pomai; February 22, 2009, 07:39 AM.
    sigpic The Tasty Island

  • #2
    Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

    Originally posted by Pomai View Post
    Pali Highway
    Cons:
    • No scenic lookouts to stop and take pictures
    Wait. What's that? Have I been imagining the Pali Lookout all these years? It ain't just for tourists, you know. The wind, the bees, the view, the history, the Old Pali Road...

    Also, there are at least two other scenic turnouts I know of, one in each direction, both Windward side of the tunnel. The Kailua-bound one gives you a great view of Olomana.


    Oh, and I prefer Pali; it's just been the most convenient for our purposes most of the time, except when I'm going around for business - then H-3 often comes into play. While I recognize the value of H-3, it's a visual blight on the Ko`olaus (I'm glad that I got to see the view for a short time before the elevated roadway was in place), and I understand the controversies regarding what was destroyed in order to build it.
    Last edited by Leo Lakio; February 22, 2009, 07:36 AM.

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    • #3
      Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

      Another advantage of Likelike over Pali is that there's less elevation gain. A bonus if you're in a underpowered car. I remember the school buses taking Likelike for that reason.

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      • #4
        Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

        Leo, I thought I had deleted that line under the Pali Highway cons, but see I didn't, so now I just did. Sorry about that.

        Pali indeed has lookouts. Several in fact. One right after the hairpin turn overlooking Kailua on the Kailua-bound side of the highway. Another one town-bound overlooking Kaneohe and Kailua, and of course PALI LOOKOUT! (post edit: I see you already pointed those out. ha ha)

        Oh, and also a lookout overlooking the Japanese shrine at Nuuanu Cemetary just on the side of Papakolea area.
        Last edited by Pomai; February 22, 2009, 07:50 AM.
        sigpic The Tasty Island

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        • #5
          Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

          A hot air balloon works best for me!

          It's usually an easy decision for me based on where I am and where I'm headed.

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          • #6
            Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

            I would like the helicopter, myself.

            I have an account with Island Hoppers.

            But seriously, back when I lived in Hawaii, I preferred the Pali.
            Last edited by Vanguard; February 22, 2009, 08:28 AM.

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            • #7
              Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

              For those of us who regularly use Pali after dark (or before dawn), it's been a sore point that street lighting for most of the Honolulu side has not been working since Thanksgiving (yes, November 2008) when there as an accident that knocked out a critical piece of equipment that controls the lights. DOT spokesperson Tami Mori says "parts/equipment are on order." Most recently, "shipping has been delayed." How many times have we heard that before out here mid-Pacific? It is incomprehensible to me that this continues...at this point, why bother fixing the lights? It's been 3 months, and the fixes (again quoting Mori) aren't likely to be done until May - that's six months. Guess we can do without them? Think of all of the money saved on electricity!
              I also relayed information to her that many of the lights Kailua side just outside the tunnels are out, and that lights farther down the road, while operating, flicker on and off - all the way down to the hairpin turn. This problem (of which she was not aware) is apparently not related to the town-side outage - but it has been a problem for more than a month
              End of rant.

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              • #8
                Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                Pali Highway for me. It's the closest to where I live and it's the most scenic drive. Likelike is second, and H3 is a very distant third. For some reason, H3 is a scary drive.

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                • #9
                  Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                  It's the H-3 for me since I travel mostly in the central Oahu, Pearl City, and Aiea areas.

                  Overall, I enjoy driving. Except for yesterday when I had to go to Ewa Beach and got stuck in the traffic on Fort Weaver Road trying to get out of there around 10:00 a.m. I can't imagine what people go through on Monday-Friday!

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                  • #10
                    Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                    Originally posted by tutusue View Post
                    It's usually an easy decision for me based on where I am and where I'm headed.
                    The only time it's really a question is if one is going between downtown Honolulu and Kaneohe. It becomes a question of H1 vs Kamehameha Hwy.


                    Originally posted by Kimo View Post
                    For those of us who regularly use Pali after dark (or before dawn), it's been a sore point that street lighting for most of the Honolulu side has not been working since Thanksgiving (yes, November 2008)
                    I'll believe the government is serious about energy when they start re-thinking their street light policy.

                    Likelike Hwy on Kaneohe side has a stretch that's gone out this past week.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                      eric and i do likelike. if we're going to the windward side, it's 99% because we're going from kaimuki to hauula. the other routes pose no advantage for us.
                      superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

                      "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

                      nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

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                      • #12
                        Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                        Originally posted by Pomai View Post
                        Likelike highway
                        Pros:
                        • Most direct route to the airport and Mapunapuna from the windward side
                        Hmmmm.... I would say this is debatable based on traffic on any given day. Remember you have to get off Likelike and on to H-1 to double-back to the airport. H-3 takes you straight there, plus you can drive a lot faster! (Higher speed limit, but moreover, H-3 has become a drag strip )

                        Incidentally, I still use Likelike the most, because usually, it is the most direct route to where I am going (either direction).

                        We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

                        — U.S. President Bill Clinton
                        USA TODAY, page 2A
                        11 March 1993

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                        • #13
                          Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                          Like Like all the way. I'm stuck in a rut and am comfortable with the route.
                          I don't like the curves and twists of the Pali. Plus, it's easier to get directly
                          to the LL from my house. To get to the Pali I have to take a circuitous route
                          through Kaneohe and past the golf course and all that, seems to take more
                          time. Maybe not but that's just me and my opinion!

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                          • #14
                            Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                            TheBus routes #55, #56 and #65 uses the Pali. I am not sure which highway the #57 takes.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Pali, Likelike or H-3?

                              Originally posted by helen View Post
                              TheBus routes #55, #56 and #65 uses the Pali. I am not sure which highway the #57 takes.
                              I remember catching the Express Bus from high school to home in Kaneohe, and one particular driver used to be like the Bus Driver from Hell! He used to BLAZE down Pali, even around the turns, as if them Grumman buses were built like Formula 1 cars. I swear we came close to going right over the side of the suspended road on the windward side of the Pali a few times. Or at least it seemed so as a passenger! Scary stuff, man.

                              Here's a good question: Which one of the three has the most HPD presence and speed limit enforcement? In my recent experience, it seems Pali has the most. Especially on the town side of the tunnel.

                              As TuNnL pointed out, H-3 has become a drag strip, and was a drag strip even before the freeway was complete, when it was in its infancy as just a small strip of roadway leading from Kaneohe Marine Base. Then you had that highly publicized YouTube video of that johnny racer on his Yamaha R-1 blazing over 150 MPH from almost beginning to end on the H-3. There's a thread here about that somewhere.

                              Yet, YET, of all the times I've driven over the H-3 in the last few years, haven't seen one cop there. And many cars easily going over 70. Thankfully we don't hear too much about bad accidents on the H-3 (knocks on wood).
                              sigpic The Tasty Island

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