Archives and Political Processes: H-3 Construction

Stop H-3 Association

Stop H-3 was originally called “For People, Land, and Sea, Stop TH-3.” It was a non-profit organization created in 1972 to oppose the construction of the H-3 freeway.

Robert (Bob) Nakata, a founder of the association, was a pastor at Kahaluʻu United Methodist Church and a community activist. His opposition to H-3 began in 1972. He later successfully ran for a seat in the state House of Representatives, representing Kahaluʻu, Lāʻie, and ʻĀhuimanu, at which point he stepped down from leading the Stop H-3 Association.

Richard (Rick) Ziegler, a former Peace Corps volunteer and an instructor at Honolulu Community College, became president in 1983. Under his leadership, the organization argued that H-3 was not needed, raised concerns about the route’s proximity to the Omega station, pointed to archaeological sites in the Luluku area that would be affected by the freeway, and demanded that the project comply with Section 4(f) of the Transportation Act.

Stop H-3 filed several lawsuits against the US Department of Transportation and the state Department of Transportation to halt construction of H-3. Boyce R. Brown, Jr. was the pro-bono attorney for the association and for other opposition groups.