Hanalei Bridge turns 100

LIHU‘E – The Hanalei Bridge received much attention for its 100th birthday Thursday.

The centennial celebration was marked by the presence of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, Sen. Ron Kouchi, Rep. Derek Kawakami, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Carol Wilcox, Civil Engineer Brian Hennessy, plus County Council members JoAnn Yukimura, Nadine Nakamura and Dickie Chang.

At the bridge, some 20 persons closely watched as many law enforcers and dignitaries attended a blessing and an oli by Mokihana Ka‘auwai Powers, who used Hawaiian salt to represent preservation, water to represent life and ti leaves to embody healing.

“This is to make sure all people who have crossed this bridge and those who will always be safe,” she said.  

After the ceremony, about 80 people carpooled to Waipa for a reception, with the politicians lauding the community for their contributions.

The reception opened with a dozen children singing an oli.

“The character of this area and the quality of life are uniquely preserved,” Inouye said. “We’re here today because the people spoke and the government listened.”

Inouye, who has supported the bridge’s rehabilitation rather than replacing it with a modern two-lane concrete structure, praised women for their acumen, for each time the Hanalei Bridge was in disrepair, most men involved at the time thought it worthless to try and save it while women stood firm to preserve the landmark.

“In the ’70s, I was visited by a couple of women,” Inouye said, referring to the bridge when it was falling apart. “It was an impossible task, but the ladies of Hanalei made it happen. If you want to have tranquility, if you want to have peace on Earth, then you listen to women.”

Hirono then spoke. “This bridge shows that it is not only a labor of love, but also a collaboration of everyone in the community, because that is how we work together here,” she said.

Yukimura praised the communal effort that has kept Hanalei the quaint town it is today. “After years of hard work, tremendous success was achieved,” she said. “Hanalei town would be a very different place today. Big buses would drive around, massive tourism would congest the place. … The bridge was a key factor in keeping Hanalei the way it is today. We don’t want it to change.”

Carvalho, whose grandfather was born in Kalaheo Valley, also praised the women who worked hard to keep the Hanalei Bridge the way it is by extolling their intelligence and calling them “the divas of the Hanalei Bridge.”

In 1975, a proposal was drafted for a two-lane bridge. Eighty-six people protested the project during a four hour meeting.

“It is thanks to the community,” Carvalho said. “It makes you feel good to work for it. The bridge must stay this way. It would damage the scenic peaceful quality of Hanalei’s North Shore otherwise.”

Kawakami said the bridge is much more than just a bridge: “It means something to the community, it forces you to slow down, to practice local policies. It has a sense, it is a place for the kokua before us and the keiki to come.”

Before there were bridges on Kaua‘i, many relied on hand-pulled barges to cross the rivers. In 1912, when the Hanalei Bridge was built, the ferry that had previously been used to carry people and their cargo became obsolete.

The 113-foot long bridge, with its distinct steel through-truss design, was manufactured in New York City by Hamilton & Chambers to replace the original bridge built in 1895.

The steel structure came in pieces that were assembled over the Hanalei River upon arrival.

The actual bridge is a replica of the original 1912 truss bridge. Inouye rededicated the new Hanalei Bridge in 2003. the structure remains one of the Garden Island’s most easily recognizable landmarks.

The Hanalei Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

The Waioli, Waipa and Waikoko Bridges were also celebrated, not for turning 100  but for their one-lane structure.