Background: Hawaii's Hana Highway runs along the northeast coast of Maui, and is constantly cited as one of the world's most scenic drives.
How It's Unique: The Hana Highway takes drivers around 600 curves and over 54 bridges (most of which are one-way) in just 52 miles. "Whenever you have to build a road like this in a coastal area, your best bet is to hug the terrain," says Hani Mahmassani, a civil engineer who has led more than 100 transportation projects and is the director of Northwestern University's Transportation Center. "If you wanted to put something faster-running through this area, you would have to cut through the rock or put in a tunnel, which is very expensive." The road's winding design, narrow passages and stunning views take some slow-going motorists as long as 4 hours to navigate, according to Hawaii's Visitors and Conventions Bureau.
Excerpt from http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/architecture/4338387
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