[2] The Kuhio Highway is named after Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, the second non-voting congressional delegate from territorial Hawaii.

An early record is given in the 1849 diary of William DeWitt Alexander, who lived at the Waiʻoli mission, which is still along the road.

In the 1960s, there were plans to extend the road to Route 550, allowing one to circumnavigate the entire island, but they were dropped due to environmental concerns and lack of traffic demand.

[7] Instead, a massive renovation project began for the Hanalei River bridge, promoted by a community preservation group with the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

[9] On February 11, 2004, Route 560 was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hawaii as site 03001048.