Oh, I don't know. Maybe if some genius road engineer said "let's build parts of the road that are subject to Mauna Loa lava flows a little above the bottom of the Saddle where lava might go - lava doesn't flow uphill". The highway certainly doesn't follow the old Saddle Road all of the way, so clearly they didn't have to follow the route of the old Saddle Road. But no, let's build it in a place where the next Mauna Loa eruption on the NE rift zone will cut the highway off.
"300 years to the north wouldn't cut it as the 1935 flow extends north of Saddle by about a half mile in some places. Also, it's not private land there, but rather Hawaiian Homestead Conservation lands for most of that stretch. After that you'd ultimately have to go through multiple $500,000+ lots or tracts of Bishop Estate lands to reach Hilo north of the Wailuku river and outside the reach of Mauna Loa's lava flows. Still think it would just be simple to relocate the road off its current plat?"
Oh, I don't know. Maybe if some genius road engineer said "let's build parts of the road that are subject to Mauna Loa lava flows a little above the bottom of the Saddle where lava might go - lava doesn't flow uphill". The highway certainly doesn't follow the old Saddle Road all of the way, so clearly they didn't have to follow the route of the old Saddle Road. But no, let's build it in a place where the next Mauna Loa eruption on the NE rift zone will cut the highway off plus put the Mauna Kea summit access road in danger of being inaccessible.
300 years to the north? Seriously?
"300 years to the north wouldn't cut it as the 1935 flow extends north of Saddle by about a half mile in some places. Also, it's not private land there, but rather Hawaiian Homestead Conservation lands for most of that stretch. After that you'd ultimately have to go through multiple $500,000+ lots or tracts of Bishop Estate lands to reach Hilo north of the Wailuku river and outside the reach of Mauna Loa's lava flows. Still think it would just be simple to relocate the road off its current plat?"
Oh, I don't know. Maybe if some genius road engineer said "let's build parts of the road that are subject to Mauna Loa lava flows a little above the bottom of the Saddle where lava might go - lava doesn't flow uphill". The highway certainly doesn't follow the old Saddle Road all of the way, so clearly they didn't have to follow the route of the old Saddle Road. But no, let's build it in a place where the next Mauna Loa eruption on the NE rift zone will cut the highway off plus put the Mauna Kea summit access road in danger of being inaccessible.
300 years to the north? Seriously?