The most remote state routes

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

This is about state routes (or segments thereof) that have very low traffic counts within a state (1,500 or less). I have a few examples in PA:

   
• PA 314 between 611 and 715 (AADT 650 vehicles/day)
• PA 534 between 940 and 903 (AADT ~500 vehicles/day)
• PA 120 between 872 and 144 (AADT ~400 vehicles/day)
• PA 895 between 501 and Auburn (AADT ~780 vehicles/day)
• PA 54 between Girardville and Shenandonah (AADT ~1300 vehicles/day)

[oscar]

Alaska has a lot of them. Just for the most notable examples, among the dozen numbered routes:

-- The Dalton Highway (AK 11) has AADTs under 250.

-- The north end of the Steese Highway (at that point AK 6), to Circle on the Yukon River, had in 2018 an AADT of only 43.

-- One segment in the middle of the Denali Highway (AK 8) had an AADT of only 61.

-- The south end of the Mitkof Highway (isolated Petersburg segment of AK 7) had an AADT of only 22.

-- The east end of the Copper River Highway (Cordova segment of AK 10) had an AADT of 9. The funny thing is that part of the highway was cut off from the rest of the highway system by a prolonged (and still unfixed) bridge washout in the Copper River delta. Maybe those 9 vehicles are local traffic by members of the Eyak tribe, or shuttles that had been taking tourists to the Million Dollar Bridge after they took a boat around the bridge washout, or the traffic data sensors were tripped up by bears or moose.

Many of these roads/segments are closed in the winter, which might depress the AADTs if they aren't seasonally-adjusted.

[Roadgeek Adam]

If you want to go north of the border for remote:

SK 962 (accessible only in Uranium City, not sure if it's even signed)
SK 999 (accessible only in Camsell Portage (by air))

Both are north of Lake Athabasca, 22 miles-ish apart. There's a better chance you could connect the two, than any others.

In Manitoba, this applies to MB 636 which is purely in Churchill.

[hbelkins]

Kentucky has a metric crap ton of routes with segments below 50 cars a day.

[oscar]

In Manitoba, this applies to MB 636 which is purely in Churchill.

MB 636 is definitely remote, with no road connection to the rest of the highway system. But it links Churchill to its airport, and also to polar bear viewing sites (which is how I clinched the route, though alas I didn't see any bears when I went on a tour there in the bears' off-season).

It's even paved for its entire length. The tour guide said the road was paved for the Queen, who made a royal visit to Churchill back when she was still an active traveler and often visited northern Canada. Because Her Majesty must ride on pavement.

SK 999 (accessible only in Camsell Portage (by air))

Saskatchewan's Highways and Infrastructure ministry somehow came up with a traffic count on that highway. In 2016, the AADT was only 5. There are a few other northern 900-series highways with AADTs of 5, but none with lower AADTs.

[Bitmapped]

This is about state routes (or segments thereof) that have very low traffic counts within a state (1,500 or less). I have a few examples in PA:

   
• PA 314 between 611 and 715 (AADT 650 vehicles/day)
• PA 534 between 940 and 903 (AADT ~500 vehicles/day)
• PA 120 between 872 and 144 (AADT ~400 vehicles/day)
• PA 895 between 501 and Auburn (AADT ~780 vehicles/day)
• PA 54 between Girardville and Shenandonah (AADT ~1300 vehicles/day)

Most of West Virginia's primary US and state route network is under 1500 AADT. In most states, including PA, there are innumerable examples in rural areas.

[Roadgeekteen]

Probably something out in the Berkshires or maybe around the Quabbin Reservoir for MA.

[Rothman]

Probably something out in the Berkshires or maybe around the Quabbin Reservoir for MA.

There's more traffic than you'd think around the Quabbin.

But Berkshires -- especially near state border crossings to nowhere -- would be a good bet.

[sbeaver44]

This is about state routes (or segments thereof) that have very low traffic counts within a state (1,500 or less). I have a few examples in PA:

• PA 314 between 611 and 715 (AADT 650 vehicles/day)
• PA 534 between 940 and 903 (AADT ~500 vehicles/day)
• PA 120 between 872 and 144 (AADT ~400 vehicles/day)
• PA 895 between 501 and Auburn (AADT ~780 vehicles/day)
• PA 54 between Girardville and Shenandonah (AADT ~1300 vehicles/day)

Most of West Virginia's primary US and state route network is under 1500 AADT. In most states, including PA, there are innumerable examples in rural areas.

That section of WV 72 that's single lane has to be stupidity low.

By the way, PA 120, absolutely amazing road.  Love the section between Renovo and Lock Haven.

[hotdogPi]

I have a spreadsheet for MA:

8A in Heath: 160
183 in New Marlborough: 180, except it's probably a typo for 1800
112 in Worthington: 250
32 in Royalston: 300
32A in Petersham: 320
68 in Templeton: 360
7A in Sheffield: 400
101 in Phillipston: 460
140 Bypass in Gardner (never heard of it; does it even exist? 2001.): 490
143 in Worthington: 500

Only one entry per route is included.

[JayhawkCO]

In Colorado, there are four state highways that have AADT of <100 according to CDOT.

• CO78 - The unpaved portion (one of the only three unpaved state highways in CO along with CO 394 and CO 170) between the CO165 Junction and mile marker 9 near Beulah has an AADT of 40
• CO101 - The portion between Bent County Road P and its southern terminus at Bent County Road K has an AADT of 70
• CO389 - The portion between the New Mexico state line and Gault Street in Branson has an AADT of 70
• CO116 - The portion between CO89 and the Kansas state line has an AADT of 80

Bonus Picks:

• CO317 - For its entire length, no segment higher than an AADT of 110 (lowest maximum AADT of any highway in CO) and ends at unpaved Routt County Road 29
• CO318 - The portion between the Utah state line and Moffat County Road 10 has an AADT of 110, no part of the route is above 250, and then it connects to an unpaved (and I believe unsigned) Daggett County (Utah) Road 1364

Chris

[NWI_Irish96]

Kentucky has a metric crap ton of routes with segments below 50 cars a day.

Yes but in Kentucky if your driveway is longer than 1/4 mile it's signed as a state highway.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Two I can find from MN:

MN 1, 35 between MN 89 and Pennington County 28

MN 308, 55. Seriously. MN 30& has to be the most useless state Highway here. For whatever reason when they realigned MN 89 to intersect MN 11 in a different spot, the old leg of the Y had to keep a number.

[mrcmc888]

TN-103 in Dyer County has a short unpaved segment that runs to a dead end at the Mississippi River, with a total AADT of 20.  I think that's going to be pretty hard to beat for the rest of the state.

[Kniwt]

Utah posted Excel spreadsheets showing AADT by segment, but the last updates were in 2017.
https://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=3980335934579031

From that list, if you exclude four-digit county roads and state park access roads (3xx series), here are the ones that are <100:
UT 153, MP 18-40 (east of Beaver, winter closure): AADT 27
UT 124, MP 0-5 (Horse Canyon Mine access): AADT 31
UT 122, MP 0-6 (Hiawatha ghost town access): AADT 73
UT 275, MP 0-4 (Natural Bridges Natl. Monument access): AADT 85

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

TN-103 in Dyer County has a short unpaved segment that runs to a dead end at the Mississippi River, with a total AADT of 20.  I think that's going to be pretty hard to beat for the rest of the state.

We have a winner...


Or do we?

[cpzilliacus]

All of the public roads on the island of Tangier, Virginia (most of which is also the Town of Tangier) in the Chesapeake Bay are maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) (and have "town" route numbers, usually signed with a four-digit number starting with a 1, sometimes with a "T" prefix (examples here and here) as they do in the rest of the Commonwealth where VDOT maintains streets and roads within the corporate limits of a town).

Tangier has no bridge connection to "mainland" or Eastern Shore Virginia. Many residents get around on bikes or scooters and small motorcycles; or in golf carts, and do not own conventional cars or trucks that would be found elsewhere (though there are some cars and pickup trucks to be found on Tangier).

As a result, traffic counts on these state-maintained roads are very, very low. 

EDIT:  The highest traffic volume in 2017 on Tangier is an ADT of 410 on Main Street  (SR-1301) and the lowest volume is north of the airport (SR-1315), with an ADT of 46 in 2014.  I think these numbers have to include the scooters and motorcycles as well as cars and pickup trucks (I do not think there are enough cars and trucks available to result in counts as high as those reported).

[Max Rockatansky]

CA 266 is probably the grand champion in California.  AZ 288, AZ 366, AZ 261, AZ 273, AZ 373, and AZ 473 all come to mind in Arizona as being decidedly off grid.

[cwf1701]

I dont know any other route with low count in Michigan other than M-185 (0 cars), but cars are banned on M-185.

[Max Rockatansky]

I dont know any other route with low count in Michigan other than M-185 (0 cars), but cars are banned on M-185.

But how many bicycles, horses, and carriages?...technically they count as traffic.

[kurumi]

Connecticut lowest AADTs for signed routes, 2015 traffic log:
* CT 263, from CT 272 over TL into Winchester: 250  (263 was my guess for loneliest route before I checked)
* CT 181, near CT 20, Hartland: 250

Lowest AADT on a 2-digit route:
* CT 20, near CT 181, Hartland: 550

Hartland wins as the most desolate place in Connecticut. At the 20/181 intersection, old CT 20 continues eastward, on a route that was moved around 1940 when the Barkhamsted Reservoir opened. The Google Street View car drove about 50 feet along this road and just stopped, like "f*** that, not going any further."  View: https://goo.gl/maps/gKvQ7vFJxAo6oJww8

AADT counts in the state seem to be rounded to the nearest 50 or 100.

[GaryV]

I didn't try to look up any data, but I'd guess that these would be in the running for MI:
M-69
M-95
M-35 north of Gladstone
M-67
M-64, southern sections
M-77 north of Seney


Then there's some that exist to serve state parks, that would get very low counts at certain times of the year.

[US 89]

• CO318 - The portion between the Utah state line and Moffat County Road 10 has an AADT of 110, no part of the route is above 250, and then it connects to an unpaved (and I believe unsigned) Daggett County (Utah) Road 1364

That's Federal Aid Route 1364. The federal aid route system is unsigned in urban areas, but some of the more rural routes are occasionally signed with mini-pentagons like this. Generally those pop up at the end of routes but sometimes you might find a reassurance shield in the middle. Given the relative local significance of 1364 I wouldn't be surprised if there was at least one of those somewhere along the route.

[CoreySamson]

Surprised no one's said TX-54.

[TBKS1]

Arkansas Highway 327 comes to mind for me, along with Arkansas Highway 219 west of Ozark (not the one that connects to I-40), as well as Arkansas Highway 370.