The road is named for Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, a territorial delegate to Congress after the U.S. annexed Hawaii.

Following the intersection the road briefly passes through some rural patches with the occasional resort before crossing the Wailua River.

Contra flow alleviates rush-hour traffic in the morning between Kapaa and Lihue Airport.

Traffic is switched back to normal starting from the north at 11 a.m. weekdays and 1:30 pm on Saturday.

The traffic pressure dissipates going through some of the countryside with few services and buildings from Kapaa heading toward Princeville.