Guam Highway 8 is one of the primary automobile highways in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 territory of Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

.

Route description

The route is one of the more important highways in the island and is designated the Purple Heart Highway. The primary means of traversing the plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

ed central part of the island, the route begins running south from a junction with GH-1

Guam Highway 1

Guam Highway 1, also known as Marine Corps Drive, is one of the primary automobile routes in the United States territory of Guam. It runs in a southwest to northeast direction, from the main gate of Naval Base Guam in the western community of Santa Rita in a general northeasterly direction to the...

 and almost immediately curves eastward into Mongmong-Toto-Maite

Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Guam

Mongmong-Toto-Maite is a municipality in Guam composed of three separate villages east of Hagåtña that experienced development after World War II. Mongmong is adjacent to the Hagåtña Swamp. Toto is situated to the northeast near Barrigada. Maite is located on the cliffs over Agana Bay. The...

. It shortly intersects the east end of GH-33, which provides a route into downtown Hagåtña

Hagåtña, Guam

Hagåtña , formerly English Agana and in Spanish Agaña, is the capital of the United States island territory of Guam. It is the island's second smallest village in both area and population. From the 18th through mid 20th century, it was Guam's population center...

. From there, the route continues eastward into the community of Barrigada

Barrigada, Guam

Barrigada is a village in central Guam. A largely residential municipality, its main village is located south of the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport near the intersections of Routes 8, 10, and 16...

. A significant amount of the land north of the road was once Naval Air Station Guam, and GH-8 used to be the primary route to the base, but after the Base Realignment and Closure Commission chose to have its operations relocated, the base was closed and the land has been returned to the local government, which has restored the area's original name of Tiyan. Most of the land has been used to expand the adjacent Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport

Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport

Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport , also known as Guam International Airport, is an airport located in Tamuning and Barrigada, three miles east of the capital city of Hagåtña in the U.S. territory of Guam. It is named for Antonio Borja Won Pat, the first delegate from Guam to the United...

 and support industrial operations, so the main road in Tiyan remains an important though unnumbered highway junction. Towards its east end, GH-8 junctions two other important routes: GH-10

Guam Highway 10

Guam Highway 10 is one of the primary automobile highways in the United States territory of Guam.-Route description:GH-10 begins at a junction off GH-4 a little in from Pago Bay. It trends eastward into the coastal village of Mangilao. GH-32 then spurs off the route towards the University of Guam...

 towards Mangilao

Mangilao, Guam

Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has increased slightly following the island's 2000 census....

 and the south coast and GH-16

Guam Highway 16

Guam Highway 16 is one of the primary automobile highways in the United States territory of Guam.-Route description:GH-16 serves as one of the chief routes of the island's central plateau , splitting off from GH-8 in Barrigada and turning northeast, skirting around the eastern reaches of Tiyan ...

 back north towards Tamuning

Tamuning, Guam

Tamuning, also known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon is a municipality or "village" located on the western shore of the island of Guam. The village of Tamuning can be viewed as the economic center of Guam, containing Tumon , Harmon Industrial Park, and commercial districts in other parts of the...

 and Dededo

Dededo, Guam

Dededo is the most populated village of the United States territory of Guam. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dededo's population was just under 45,000 in 2010. The village is located on the coral plateau of Northern Guam.- Etymology :...

. Traffic at the latter junction defaults to GH-16 for travel towards GH-1. GH-8 then curves east-northeast through undeveloped land before emerging at Radio Barrigada, a Naval facility dominated by the Admiral Nimitz Golf Course. The route itself ends at an unremarkable T-intersection within the grounds.

Major intersections

Location	Mile	Destination	Notes
Hagåtña Hagåtña, Guam Hagåtña , formerly English Agana and in Spanish Agaña, is the capital of the United States island territory of Guam. It is the island's second smallest village in both area and population. From the 18th through mid 20th century, it was Guam's population center...			Western terminus
Mongmong-Toto-Maite Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Guam Mongmong-Toto-Maite is a municipality in Guam composed of three separate villages east of Hagåtña that experienced development after World War II. Mongmong is adjacent to the Hagåtña Swamp. Toto is situated to the northeast near Barrigada. Maite is located on the cliffs over Agana Bay. The...
Barrigada Barrigada, Guam Barrigada is a village in central Guam. A largely residential municipality, its main village is located south of the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport near the intersections of Routes 8, 10, and 16...