US Congress and Territory of Hawaii to build a breakwater and improve Hilo Bay's harbor; at the time, the harbor was not well-protected from seasonal storms and heavy seas. In exchange for those projects, HRC would extend its line north-northwest from Hilo up the rugged Hāmākua coast to service the northern sugarcane plantations. The new Hāmākua Division, planned from Hilo to Paaulio, was funded through the initial issue of bonds, which were authorized not to exceed in 1907, later supplemented by another issue of for the extension in 1909. In 1910, while the Hāmākua Division was still being built, the HRC system was the only standard gauge railway in the territory of Hawaii and the second-longest overall, with of track counted in its main line and branches. The Hāmākua Division was an engineering marvel, including the construction of 3 tunnels and 35 large trestle bridges (22 wooden and 13 steel) across the mouths of valleys. The total length of bridges was , with individual bridges up to in length and high. of tunnels were built. However, it also was one of the most expensive railroad construction projects per mile in the world at that time, at per mile, totaling $3.5 million (equivalent to $ adjusted for inflation), comparable to the cost and timing of the Bayshore Cutoff, which was built by the much larger Southern Pacific Railroad just south of San Francisco. The tremendous expense forced the company into receivership by 1914, and by 1916 it was sold in foreclosure proceedings. The company was reorganized as the Hawaii Consolidated Railway (HCR) in February 1916. The first section, stretching from Hilo to the Hakalau Mill, was constructed between 1908 and 1911. The second phase, completed from Hakalau to Paauilo in 1912 or April 1913, included two of the longest bridges on the line (the Hakalau Bridge, long; and the Maulua Bridge, more than long). All the steel bridges were designed by John Mason Young, using steel girders with spans from long. By 1920, with the Hāmākua Division complete, HCR boasted a total of of rail. Reorganization as Hawaii Consolidated Railway To extend its existing line from eastern Hilo through Hāmākua, HRC also had to construct steel bridges over the Wailoa and Wailuku Rivers. Because of their near sea-level elevation, they were also vulnerable to rough seas, and were destroyed and replaced in 1923 (Wailoa) and 1924 (Wailuku). The Wailuku River bridge