The Waipio Road

Remember "McGarrett is Missing" (Season 8), when the airplane carrying the top cop, Charley Bombay, and the police pilot went down in the Waipio Valley in a rainstorm? Well, that's the place.

The Waipio Road on Big Island has been closed indefinitely. Why? First, it is an extremely narrow road that clings to the side of a mountain. That makes it very difficult for vehicles to pass. In fact, there are pull-off points along the way to make room for cars to pass. Second, the road is very steep (40 degrees in some places).

The mayor of Hawaii County made the right decision. I only hope improvements will be made in short order so the road can be reopened, but I'm not sure just how they could widen it without digging into the hillside, and that would take a lot of time and cost a lot of money.

Read about it:

* Hawaii's Waipio Valley closed indefinitely due to hazardous road (sfgate.com)

* Waipio Valley Road in HI, the steepest road in the USA (dangerousroads.org). Includes a video showing just how treacherous the road is.