:Interstate H-2
{{Short description|Interstate Highway in Hawaii, US}}
{{Confuse|Interstate 2}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox road
| state = HI
| route = 2
| type = I
| alternate_name = Veterans Memorial Freeway
| map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=290|frame-lat=21.444|frame-long=-158.010|zoom=11|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Interstate H-2}}}}
| map_custom = yes
| map_notes = H-2 highlighted in red
| length_mi = 8.33
| length_ref = {{cite web |last=Starks |first=Edward |date=January 27, 2022 |title=Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm |access-date=January 22, 2023 |work=FHWA Route Log and Finder List |publisher=Federal Highway Administration}}
| established = August 29, 1960
| history = Completed in 1977
| direction_a = South
| terminus_a = {{Jct|state=HI|I|1}} in Waipahu
| junction =
| direction_b = North
| terminus_b = {{Jct|state=HI|Route|99}} in Wahiawā
| counties = Honolulu
| previous_type = I
| previous_route = 1
| next_type = I
| next_route = 3
}}
Interstate H-2 (H-2, named the Veterans Memorial Freeway) is an intrastate Interstate Highway located on the island of Oʻahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The north–south freeway connects H-1 in Pearl City to Mililani and Wahiawa, where it terminates at Route 99 near Schofield Barracks.
The Interstate System was expanded to Hawaii in 1960 along several corridors, with H-2 assigned to the north–south connection between the Honolulu area and Wahiawa. Construction began in 1971, and the first section opened to traffic on October 3, 1974. The rest of H-2 was completed on February 21, 1977.
Route description
H-2 begins at the Waiawa Interchange with H-1 in Pearl City, adjacent to Leeward Community College on the north side of Pearl Harbor. The eight-lane freeway travels north through the residential Waipio neighborhood and intersects Ka Uka Boulevard near several retailers and warehouses. H-2 then turns northeast and follows the Pānakauahi Gulch as it skirts the foothills of the Koʻolau Range, passing a solar farm and undeveloped land.{{cite news |last=Shimogawa |first=Duane |date=January 29, 2015 |title=First Wind's major solar farm on Oahu's North Shore gets review from city |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/morning_call/2015/01/first-winds-major-solar-farm-on-oahus-north-shore.html |work=Pacific Business News |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119002825/https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/morning_call/2015/01/first-winds-major-solar-farm-on-oahus-north-shore.html |url-status=live }} The freeway turns northwest to cross Kipapa Gulch and bisects a residential neighborhood in the city of Mililani, where it intersects Meheula Parkway. The freeway narrows to four lanes as it approaches Wahiawa and turns north to travel around Wheeler Army Airfield. H-2 terminates after an interchange with Route 99, which continues west on Wilikina Drive to Schofield Barracks.{{google maps |title=Interstate H-2 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/21.3975054,-157.9860041/21.4904464,-158.0313924/@21.4439728,-158.0437345,16345m/am=t/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0 |accessdate=November 15, 2021}}
The freeway is maintained by the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) and is designated as part of the National Highway System, a network of economically and militarily strategic highways in the U.S.{{cite map |author=Federal Highway Administration |date=October 1, 2020 |title=National Highway System: Urban Honolulu, HI |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/hawaii/urban_honolulu_hi.pdf |scale=Scale not given |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |accessdate=November 14, 2021 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212151507/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/hawaii/urban_honolulu_hi.pdf |url-status=live }} H-2 has a set of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes between the Waiawa Interchange and Mililani that are active during peak periods on weekdays.{{cite web |title=Special Use Lanes |url=https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/special-use-lanes/ |publisher=Hawaii Department of Transportation |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114220033/https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/special-use-lanes/ |url-status=live }} Traffic volumes on the highway, measured in terms of annual average daily traffic, ranged in 2020 from a minimum of 36,900 vehicles at its northern terminus to a maximum of 87,900 vehicles at H-1.{{cite web |title=HIDOT Highways Program Status |url=https://histategis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=39e4d804242740a89d3fd0bc76d8d7de |publisher=Hawaii Department of Transportation |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=October 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007163233/https://histategis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=39e4d804242740a89d3fd0bc76d8d7de |url-status=live }} TheBus, a city-wide bus system, operates several express routes on H-2 between Downtown Honolulu and Wahiawa.{{cite map |date=September 2021 |title=Routes 83, 84, 84A, 96, 98, 98A, PH2, PH3, and 99 |url=http://www.thebus.org/route/Maps/rm83-PH2-PH3-84-84A-96-98-98A-99.pdf |publisher=TheBus |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119024128/http://www.thebus.org/route/Maps/rm83-PH2-PH3-84-84A-96-98-98A-99.pdf |url-status=live }}
History
=Planning and funding=
A set of Interstate Highways on O‘ahu were approved for funding by the U.S. Congress in 1960, a year after Hawaii was admitted as a state.{{cite web |last=Weingroff |first=Richard |title=Interstates in Hawaii: ARE WE CRAZY??? |url=https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/rambler/ask-rambler-interstates-hawaii-are-we-crazy |work=Ask the Rambler |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |access-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=October 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014175512/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/hawaii.cfm |url-status=live }} The corridors would connect Honolulu to Naval Air Station Barbers Point to the west, Schofield Barracks to the northwest, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay to the northeast, and Diamond Head to the southeast.{{cite news |date=June 19, 1960 |title=Freeways To Be Extended |page=39 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969133/freeways-to-be-extended/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115084847/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969133/freeways-to-be-extended/ |url-status=live }} The Bureau of Public Roads (now the Federal Highway Administration) approved "Interstate H-2" as the designation for the Schofield Barracks corridor on August 29, 1960.
The freeway would be built parallel to a section of the Kamehameha Highway, which opened in 1921 to connect Honolulu to the North Shore and the windward side of the island.{{cite news |last=Sigall |first=Bob |date=January 3, 2020 |title=Rearview Mirror: Kamehameha Highway possesses storied history |page=B6 |work=Honolulu Star-Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136172/rearview-mirror-kamehameha-highway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118055139/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136172/rearview-mirror-kamehameha-highway/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=September 5, 1962 |title=State Marks Kam Highway To Block Lane Leaners |page=B4 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136385/state-marks-kam-highway-to-block-lane/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118055133/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136385/state-marks-kam-highway-to-block-lane/ |url-status=live }} A set of three general routing options were presented at a public hearing in October 1962, all to be at least four lanes wide except for a section around Wheeler Army Airfield.{{cite news |date=October 7, 1962 |title=Freeway: Leeward Hearing Set For Tuesday |page=A7 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136416/freeway-leeward-hearing-set-for-tuesday/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118055132/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136416/freeway-leeward-hearing-set-for-tuesday/ |url-status=live }} The easternmost option, with an estimated cost of $29.2 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|29200000|1962}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) was chosen by officials following feedback from the hearing.{{cite news |date=October 10, 1962 |title=Route C Favored As Freeway Path |page=A2 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136523/route-c-favored-as-freeway-path/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118055137/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89136523/route-c-favored-as-freeway-path/ |url-status=live }} Construction of H-2 was scheduled to begin in 1967, but federal funding cuts deferred several Interstate projects on O‘ahu, including the Waiawa Interchange and Kipapa section of H-2.{{cite news |last=Lund |first=Kay |date=February 23, 1967 |title=Federal cutback throws H-1 plans into slow gear |page=C1 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89137847/federal-cutback-throws-h-1-plans-into/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118055132/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89137847/federal-cutback-throws-h-1-plans-into/ |url-status=live }}
Following the partial restoration of federal funding,{{cite news |last=Lund |first=Kay |date=May 11, 1967 |title=Road plan zips into high |page=B4 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89138410/road-plan-zips-into-high/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118071154/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89138410/road-plan-zips-into-high/ |url-status=live }} HDOT opened bids in November 1967 on construction of the Waiawa Interchange with H-1.{{cite news |date=December 8, 1967 |title=$4.5 Million HD&C Bid Lowest on H-1 Section |page=B6 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89138534/45-million-hdc-bid-lowest-on-h-1/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118071146/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89138534/45-million-hdc-bid-lowest-on-h-1/ |url-status=live }} The remainder of H-2 remained indefinitely deferred, along with funding for H-3.{{cite news |last=Lund |first=Kay |date=May 16, 1968 |title=State pressing for H-1 completion |page=E8 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89139481/state-pressing-for-h-1-completion/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118071157/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89139481/state-pressing-for-h-1-completion/ |url-status=live }} The federal government allocated $51 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|52000000|1968}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) for the entire H-2 project in October 1968,{{cite news |date=October 31, 1968 |title=U.S. funds for Pearl City to Wahiawa road |page=F1 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89139537/us-funds-for-pearl-city-to-wahiawa/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118071156/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89139537/us-funds-for-pearl-city-to-wahiawa/ |url-status=live }} allowing for bidding on other construction contracts to open.{{cite news |date=November 24, 1968 |title=One Bidder For Road Project |page=E4 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89139532/one-bidder-for-road-project/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118071153/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89139532/one-bidder-for-road-project/ |url-status=live }} The original embankment design of crossings for the Kipapa and Waikakalaua streams near Mililani was later replaced in 1971 with bridges to reduce costs and potential erosion issues.{{cite news |date=May 7, 1971 |title=High speed bridges to span 2 gulches |page=D2 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89182861/high-speed-bridges-to-span-2-gulches/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119020729/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89182861/high-speed-bridges-to-span-2-gulches/ |url-status=live }} H-2 was described as "Hawaii's forgotten freeway" by local newspapers, as its planning was generally uncontroversial compared to other projects, such as H-3, and did not attract the attention of anti-highway activists.{{cite news |last=Hostetler |first=Harold |date=November 29, 1973 |title=Nobody complains about H-2 |page=C2 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89187727/nobody-complains-about-h-2/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119031845/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89187727/nobody-complains-about-h-2/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Smollar |first=David |date=June 16, 1974 |title='Forgotten' freeway proceeds smoothly |page=A3 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89188433/forgotten-freeway-proceeds-smoothly/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119031846/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89188433/forgotten-freeway-proceeds-smoothly/ |url-status=live }}
=Construction and later projects=
Construction on the southernmost section of H-2 began in early 1971 with work on the Waiawa Interchange.{{cite news |date=April 13, 1971 |title=H-2 Hearing Tomorrow |page=C12 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89182829/h-2-hearing-tomorrow/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119020731/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89182829/h-2-hearing-tomorrow/ |url-status=live }} By June 1973, grading of the Pearl City–Kipapa section of the freeway was nearly complete and contracts for paving and interchange construction were prepared to be released.{{cite news |date=June 26, 1973 |title=Freeway work going smoothly |page=A10 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89186853/freeway-work-going-smoothly/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119025059/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89186853/freeway-work-going-smoothly/ |url-status=live }} The remaining projects for H-2, with the exception of the Kipapa Gulch bridge, were contracted by August and under construction by the end of the year.{{cite news |date=August 21, 1973 |title=Everything's Booming on H-2 Improvements |page=C2 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89187306/everythings-booming-on-h-2-improvements/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119025100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89187306/everythings-booming-on-h-2-improvements/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=October 25, 1973 |title=Work to begin soon on H-2 |page=A16 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89187491/work-to-begin-soon-on-h-2/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119025114/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89187491/work-to-begin-soon-on-h-2/ |url-status=live }} Work on the Waikakalaua Gulch bridge near Mililani began in December 1973,{{cite news |date=December 18, 1973 |title=H-2 Bridge Work to Begin |page=A21 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89185224/h-2-bridge-work-to-begin/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119020729/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89185224/h-2-bridge-work-to-begin/ |url-status=live }} while the Kipapa Gulch bridge began the following year using a cantilevered truss system.{{cite news |last=Tune |first=Jerry |date=April 7, 1976 |title=New Building Process Cuts Cost of Bridge |page=C7 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89192511/new-building-process-cuts-cost-of-bridge/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119050529/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89192511/new-building-process-cuts-cost-of-bridge/ |url-status=live }} Construction on a section of the freeway near Wheeler Army Airfield unearthed the ruins of the Cabrini Chapel, a small church built by Italian prisoners of war housed at Sand Island from 1944 to 1945.{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Lyle |date=September 8, 1976 |title=WWII Footnote Frozen in Stone |page=C5 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89302684/wwii-footnote-frozen-in-stone/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 20, 2021 |archive-date=November 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121060329/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89302684/wwii-footnote-frozen-in-stone/ |url-status=live }}
The southernmost section of the freeway, traveling {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} from the Waiawa Interchange with H-1 to the Mililani Cemetery, was completed in early 1974. It was opened to traffic on October 3, 1974, after a temporary road through the cemetery was finished, connecting H-2 to the Kamehameha Highway near the Mililani Town development.{{cite news |date=October 4, 1974 |title=Ribbon cutting on H-2 |page=B6 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89188693/ribbon-cutting-on-h-2/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119031840/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89188693/ribbon-cutting-on-h-2/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=February 16, 1977 |title=H-2 ceremony slated Monday |page=A2 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969044/h-2-ceremony-slated-monday/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115083335/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969044/h-2-ceremony-slated-monday/ |url-status=live }} Part of the freeway's northern terminus at the Wahiawa Interchange opened in October 1975 to allow traffic to bypass a congested left turn on the Kamehameha Highway.{{cite news |date=October 3, 1975 |title=Part of Wahiawa Interchange Open |page=D16 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89192048/part-of-wahiawa-interchange-open/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119050536/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89192048/part-of-wahiawa-interchange-open/ |url-status=live }} The final section of the freeway, including the Kipapa Gulch bridge, opened to traffic on February 21, 1977, after a delay while awaiting delivery of a transformer to control its lights.{{cite news |last=Imig |first=Joanne |date=January 13, 1977 |title=The Kokua Line |page=A3 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193290/the-kokua-line-jan-13-1977/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119050539/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193290/the-kokua-line-jan-13-1977/ |url-status=live }} The entirety of H-2 cost an estimated $43 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|43000000|1977}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) to construct.{{cite news |date=February 21, 1977 |title=Long-Awaited H-2 Freeway Opens |page=2 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969067/long-awaited-h-2-freeway-opens/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115083337/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969067/long-awaited-h-2-freeway-opens/ |url-status=live }} The freeway's HOV lanes also opened at the same time, having been added to replace an earlier plan for exclusive bus lanes,{{cite news |last=Harpham |first=Anne |date=February 22, 1977 |title=New restricted lanes: destination mass transit |page=A1 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969083/new-restricted-lanes-destination-mass/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115083335/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969083/new-restricted-lanes-destination-mass/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Tune |first=Jerry |date=July 19, 1973 |title=State Proposes H-2 Bus Lane |page=B4 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193872/state-proposes-h-2-bus-lane/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119051255/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193872/state-proposes-h-2-bus-lane/ |url-status=live }} but were eliminated in January 1979 due to low use.{{cite news |date=December 28, 1978 |title=State Will Eliminate H-2 Car-Pool Lanes |page=A3 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89194017/state-will-eliminate-h-2-car-pool-lanes/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119052728/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89194017/state-will-eliminate-h-2-car-pool-lanes/ |url-status=live }}
Construction of the freeway allowed for residential development in the Waipio Valley and around Mililani, which had been designed in conjunction with H-2 in the late 1960s.{{cite news |last=Cook |first=Bill |date=December 17, 1967 |title=A Town With a Plan |page=D1 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89185023/a-town-with-a-plan/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119020730/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89185023/a-town-with-a-plan/ |url-status=live }} A pair of sites along the highway were also considered in the 1970s for the second Oʻahu campus of the University of Hawaiʻi, which was ultimately located at Kapolei.{{cite news |date=January 22, 1972 |title=UH eyeing 35 sites for Oahu 2nd campus |page=A13 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89185094/uh-eyeing-35-sites-for-oahu-2nd-campus/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119020732/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89185094/uh-eyeing-35-sites-for-oahu-2nd-campus/ |url-status=live }} A new interchange with Ka Uka Boulevard was opened in July 1989 to serve new development in Waipio.{{cite news |last=Killelea-Almonte |first=Patti |date=August 1, 1989 |title=Waipio Interchange to H-2 opens |page=A3 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193591/waipio-interchange-to-h-2-opens/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119050534/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193591/waipio-interchange-to-h-2-opens/ |url-status=live }} The Mililani Mauka development opened in the 1990s after development closer to the freeway was approved.{{cite news |last=Tune |first=Jerry |date=January 4, 1987 |title=Mililani Mauka Plans For Housing, College Campus |page=B1 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193433/mililani-mauka-plans-for-housing/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119050532/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193433/mililani-mauka-plans-for-housing/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Glauberman |first=Stu |date=June 15, 1992 |title=Freeway exits multiply along with Oahu development |page=A3 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193516/freeway-exits-multiply-along-with-oahu/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119050531/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89193516/freeway-exits-multiply-along-with-oahu/ |url-status=live }} The Meheula Parkway interchange was rebuilt in 1993 to accommodate expected traffic and H-2 was widened to readd the HOV lanes, which opened in December 1994.{{cite news |last=Engle |first=Murry |date=March 22, 1993 |title=New ramps coming for freeway drivers heading to Mililani |page=A4 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89194231/new-ramps-coming-for-freeway-drivers/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119052726/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89194231/new-ramps-coming-for-freeway-drivers/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Morse |first=Harold |date=February 20, 1995 |title=Lane abuse frustrates commuters |page=A4 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89194333/lane-abuse-frustrates-commuters/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119052725/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89194333/lane-abuse-frustrates-commuters/ |url-status=live }}
H-2 was designated as the Veterans Memorial Freeway in 2002 by the state government.{{cite news |last=Leidemann |first=Mike |date=October 29, 2002 |title=Governor renames Honolulu freeways |page=B1 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969485/governor-renames-honolulu-freeways/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=November 15, 2021 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115092023/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88969485/governor-renames-honolulu-freeways/ |url-status=live }}
Exit list
{{jcttop|exit|state=HI|county=Honolulu|length_ref=}}
{{HIint|exit
|location=Waipahu
|mile=0.0
|exit=1
|road={{jct|state=HI|I|1|city1=Honolulu|city2=Waianae}}
|notes=Signed as exits 1A (east) and 1B (west); exit 8 on H-1}}
{{HIint|exit
|location=Waipio
|mile=2.4
|exit=2
|road=Ka Uka Boulevard}}
{{HIint|exit
|location=Mililani
|mile=5.5
|exit=5
|road=Mililani Mauka, Mililani Town
|notes=Access via Meheula Parkway; signed as exits 5A (Mauka) and 5B (Town) northbound}}
{{HIint|exit
|location=Waipio Acres
|mile=7.2
|type=incomplete
|exit=7
|road={{jct|state=HI|HI|99|dir1=north|road|Leilehua Golf Course Road|location1=Mililani Tech Park|location2=Wheeler AAF}}
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance}}
{{HIint|exit
|location=Wahiawa
|lspan=3
|mile=7.4
|mile2=7.9
|exit=8
|road={{jct|state=HI|HI|99|dir1=north|city1=Wahiawa}}
|notes=Northbound exit is via Route 80}}
{{HIint|exit
|mile=8.3
|mspan=2
|type=incomplete
|exit=9
|road={{jct|state=HI|HI|99|dir1=south|name1=Kamehameha Highway}}
|notes=Southbound exit and northbound entrance}}
{{HIint|exit
|mile=none
|exit=—
|road={{jct|state=HI|Route|99|dir1=north}}
|notes=Continues north as Wilikina Drive}}
{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}}
- {{commons category-inline|Interstate H-2}}
{{interstates}}