Longest Single Lane in the US

[Ketchup99]

What's the longest single lane in the country? Your state?

It doesn't matter whether this lane travels on one highway or ten. If I am driving and simply don't change lanes (even if this entails changing highways), what's the farthest I can go?

How a lane ends:
- Merging into another lane
- An at-grade intersection where your lane is not in a through movement
- A lane splitting in two, unless one of the two is a clear exit
- If it's in a beltway-type situation and meets itself again (you could only count one loop as your final length)

Have fun! I'm guessing there will end up being lanes that run coast to coast.

[webny99]

This might not be exactly the same, but here's a very similar thread from this past July:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=27165.0

And note reply #10 of that thread, which links back to an older version:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=25640

[jakeroot]

I like the more technical aspect of this variation.

I tracked a single road during my brief lunch from Tacoma to Everett: S 24th St, Puyallup Ave, Pacific Hwy, Tukwila International Blvd, E Marginal Way, WA-99 Tunnel, Aurora Ave, Pacific Hwy (again), Evergreen Way, and finally Rucker Ave.

The #1 lane that begins at S 24th and Holgate in Tacoma eventually becomes the #2 lane on Aurora Ave in Seattle. It remains the #2 lane all the way to Everett, before ending as a right-turn-only at California St.

From rough calculations, about 59 miles.

Clearly, there are some that would be way longer than this. I'm sure the #2 lane on many freeways is continuous from start to finish. I just wanted to look specifically at urban routes since they have more variation with intersections and turn lanes.

[mgk920]

Until highway upgrade changes over the past couple of decades, one could follow a single lane from I-94 somewhere in SE Michigan around Chicagoland via the Tri-State Tollway (assuming that that lane continued through the tollgates as though the tollgates were not there) and on through NE Wisconsin via US 41 and back into Michigan.

Mike

[Max Rockatansky]

I was kind of hoping this would be above the longest single lane highway.   

[Evan_Th]

The northbound lane of US 101 through the west side of the Olympic Peninsula starts at S Alder Street in Aberdeen.  (Contrary to Google Maps road view, satellite view shows that the lanes on Levee St originate across the Riverside Avenue bridge.)  I believe it ends in Port Angeles, as North Lincoln St meeting E Railroad Ave at the waterfront, after 163 miles.

I'm sure there are longer, but this's the one that I thought to check.

[thspfc]

What about when a road widens? Say my lane goes from being the only lane in its direction to one of two. Can I just pick which lane I want to use then?

[kphoger]

How a lane ends:
- A lane splitting in two, unless one of the two is a clear exit

What about when a road widens? Say my lane goes from being the only lane in its direction to one of two.

The way I read things, your lane ends at that point.

[Ketchup99]

What about when a road widens? Say my lane goes from being the only lane in its direction to one of two. Can I just pick which lane I want to use then?

Unless it's clear which lane is the continuation of the original, the lane just ends.

[dlsterner]

What's the longest single lane in the country? Your state?

It doesn't matter whether this lane travels on one highway or ten. If I am driving and simply don't change lanes (even if this entails changing highways), what's the farthest I can go?

How a lane ends:
- Merging into another lane
- An at-grade intersection where your lane is not in a through movement
- A lane splitting in two, unless one of the two is a clear exit
- If it's in a beltway-type situation and meets itself again (you could only count one loop as your final length)

Have fun! I'm guessing there will end up being lanes that run coast to coast.

Interesting question - What if - in a beltway situation - you come back to your starting point, but you were one lane further to the right or left from where you started?  In other words, a "spiral" situation.  In that case, can you count multiple loops?

(Just being goofy here - Too bad there aren't any Moebius beltways)

[Ketchup99]

I suppose you could! The lane wouldn't hit itself, so you could theoretically go around as many times as there are lanes. Maybe there's even an example of that somewhere.

[dlsterner]

What's the longest single lane in the country? Your state?

It doesn't matter whether this lane travels on one highway or ten. If I am driving and simply don't change lanes (even if this entails changing highways), what's the farthest I can go?

How a lane ends:
- Merging into another lane
- An at-grade intersection where your lane is not in a through movement
- A lane splitting in two, unless one of the two is a clear exit
- If it's in a beltway-type situation and meets itself again (you could only count one loop as your final length)

Have fun! I'm guessing there will end up being lanes that run coast to coast.

Interesting question - What if - in a beltway situation - you come back to your starting point, but you were one lane further to the right or left from where you started?  In other words, a "spiral" situation.  In that case, can you count multiple loops?

(Just being goofy here - Too bad there aren't any Moebius beltways)

I suppose you could! The lane wouldn't hit itself, so you could theoretically go around as many times as there are lanes. Maybe there's even an example of that somewhere.

I wouldn't be surprised if I-495 (MD/DC/VA) did just that.  I would start "between the 270's" as that is 495's narrowest portion and see if that does happen (either inner or outer loop).  I would check myself, but I drive enough of that road in real life and I'm not inclined to drive it virtually right now    I-695 around Baltimore could be another possibility.

[ran4sh]

What's the longest single lane in the country? Your state?

It doesn't matter whether this lane travels on one highway or ten. If I am driving and simply don't change lanes (even if this entails changing highways), what's the farthest I can go?

How a lane ends:
- Merging into another lane
- An at-grade intersection where your lane is not in a through movement
- A lane splitting in two, unless one of the two is a clear exit
- If it's in a beltway-type situation and meets itself again (you could only count one loop as your final length)

Have fun! I'm guessing there will end up being lanes that run coast to coast.

Interesting question - What if - in a beltway situation - you come back to your starting point, but you were one lane further to the right or left from where you started?  In other words, a "spiral" situation.  In that case, can you count multiple loops?

(Just being goofy here - Too bad there aren't any Moebius beltways)

I suppose you could! The lane wouldn't hit itself, so you could theoretically go around as many times as there are lanes. Maybe there's even an example of that somewhere.

I wouldn't be surprised if I-495 (MD/DC/VA) did just that.  I would start "between the 270's" as that is 495's narrowest portion and see if that does happen (either inner or outer loop).  I would check myself, but I drive enough of that road in real life and I'm not inclined to drive it virtually right now    I-695 around Baltimore could be another possibility.

I remember a post on MTR that said that one direction of the Beltway did indeed have such a lane. Of course, this was before the Springfield interchange was reconfigured and the new Wilson bridge was built, so I'm pretty sure that is not the case with the current lane configurations. https://groups.google.com/g/misc.transport.road/c/YpGzeRs_JxE/m/hjEPRZS3Y1EJ