Most useless US Highway?

[Max Rockatansky]

How about US 163? Aside from it being nowhere near US 63, why isn't this just a state highway? It's also really short at only 64 miles. I know it serves 2 states so it's legal, but why?

This one did come to my mind, only because it could easily be two state highways.  I think also it probably being the most photographed US highway in the system more than makes up for its justification to be a US highway.

You guys should really look up what is going on with US 191 north of US 160 to the Utah State Line.

I have driven it more than once.  It's part of a larger route, so there is no point decommissioning 5 miles of it.  I only thought of US-163 because of its short length and number being so random, but again, it's photographic prowess more than makes up for it.  US-191 is a border to border so why get picky about 5 miles of it?

But is 191 actually continuous?  I don't believe that's ever actually been really answered given the gap in ADOT maintenance.

[brad2971]

I'm surprised the thread made it this long with nobody mentioning US-266. By the time US-66 was decommissioned, 266 didn't connect to it anymore, and what little is left after I-40 plowed through just connects a few random small towns (or I guess provides an alternate to I-40 if you want to be charitable). About the only use it has is as a good cheap clinching target for roadgeeks to get their first US route clinch without having to go on a multi-day drive.

Part of me wonders if the reason nobody's tried to have it decommissioned is because Oklahoma already has a SH-266, and nobody trusts ODOT to pick a new number instead of just having two of the same route, like they do with a bunch of other numbers.

Per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state_highways_in_Oklahoma, SH 262 can be used on US 266. Especially since the west end of US 266 meets US 62.

[brad2971]

us 730

Provides a quick connection between I-84 and Walla Walla, so not useless.

Depends upon how WSDOT will handle what will be the junction of US 730 with new US 12 when that gets done by the end of the decade. If I understand the plan right, US 730 will be extended to meet that US 12, but what it will look like is not known at this time.

[Rover_0]

How about US 163? Aside from it being nowhere near US 63, why isn't this just a state highway? It's also really short at only 64 miles. I know it serves 2 states so it's legal, but why?

Handy short cut from Flagstaff and Phoenix to Moab.  Hate the number but definitely has a use for a really scenic destination.

Plus, I feel that there's at least some potential to, at the very least, extend 163 east to US-160 in Colorado.

(Yes, I'm aware that this should likely result in US-163 getting a new number, but the point still stands.)

[brad2971]

Modern US-91 does cross state lines, but it really seems like it could just be two state highways at this point.

Ehh... maybe the part between Pocatello and Idaho Falls, but the southern half that isn't right next to I-15 gets a lot of traffic (relatively speaking) and would probably be a good candidate for a shorter 3dus if 91 were to not exist at all. As it is, 91 is the only four-lane connection to the outside world for both Franklin and Cache County.

Or, if you really wanted US 91 to play a major role in the US highway system again, you could:

1. Reroute US 20 onto US 26 from Shoshoni to I-15 at Idaho Falls. (Which would settle the US 6/US 20 "Who is longer" debate, as it would shorten US 20 considerably). Oh, and while we're doing that, convince Nebraska DOT to route MSR 92 onto the current US 26 from Scottsbluff to I-25 in place of US 26, so that US 26 can have its east end in Idaho Falls.

2. Extend US 91 onto both US 20 from I-15 to West Yellowstone, and US 287 north of West Yellowstone, and have US 91 end where US 287's north end currently is.

3. If you REALLY wanted to make US 91 even more major than that, you could extend US 91 from the Brigham City exit on I-15 down to the south Nephi exit, then put US 91 on to Utah SR 28, then have it take the place of US 89 all the way to Flagstaff. Oh, and put US 91A in lieu of US 89A. As for the portions of US 89 from Brigham City to Nephi that are NOT on I-15; well, let UDOT put its own SR numbers and shields on to those roads.

[brad2971]

in before these get dismissed for being "distinct":
US 340. what's the purpose of this? It parallels US 11 and I-81 until Maryland. no literally what is it..

US 16. US 14 and I-90 make this route look pretty worthless. It could easily be a rerouted 14, 14 alt, or even a branch of 14.

US 212. US 12 and I-94 are both faster than this route from Minnie to Billings and it doesn't really serve anything between these points. I guess you could say a billings- Yellowstone route is important but still.

US 411. I said this route was underrated, but does it really serve that much function? It's like 11 wanted a longer E-W split, but it was rejected, so it gave birth to 411. 

US 223. Surprised this is still around

Both South Dakota DOT and South Dakota's Dept of Tourism would have conniption fits if you suggested US 16/US 16A should ever be renumbered or removed from the US highway system. For reasons that should be obvious to one and all. Now, if WYDOT wanted to be neighborly enough to reroute US 16 onto US 14 past Gillette, and renumber US 14A as US 16A, SDDOT would have no problem at all with the idea of truncating US 14 at Wall (or even as far east as US 83 at Blunt).

[kphoger]

Both South Dakota DOT and South Dakota's Dept of Tourism would have conniption fits if you suggested US 16/US 16A should ever be renumbered or removed from the US highway system. For reasons that should be obvious to one and all.

It is not obvious to me at all why either agency would be dead-set against renumbering them.  Removing them, ma-a-a-aybe.

[FrCorySticha]

2. Extend US 91 onto both US 20 from I-15 to West Yellowstone, and US 287 north of West Yellowstone, and have US 91 end where US 287's north end currently is.

Obviously this is fictional highway territory, but this would put US 91 back on its original route between Helena and Wolf Creek, MT, and even some of its original roadbed where I-15 was built on top of it.

[index]

19W is pretty useless as a US highway designation. It spends a lot of its time in extremely rural areas with very low AADT (around 60 in NC), and when it doesn't, it's multiplexed with other highways that are already more sensible routings to the areas they serve than 19W.

I have driven 19W in NC myself and didn't see a single car the entire time I was on it, even when I stopped for several minutes at a time to take photos.

It would make sense to eliminate the designation, but I'd be sad to see another road oddity like that gone.

[SD Mapman]

Both South Dakota DOT and South Dakota's Dept of Tourism would have conniption fits if you suggested US 16/US 16A should ever be renumbered or removed from the US highway system. For reasons that should be obvious to one and all.

It is not obvious to me at all why either agency would be dead-set against renumbering them.  Removing them, ma-a-a-aybe.

IMO, as a Hills native, US 16 is used heavily in marketing, for local businesses, municipalities, etc. I know it's referring to the Wyoming section, but there's a billboard just west of Spearfish advertising for 16 through the Bighorns and they sign it as US I-16 (here, I've wanted to fix that billboard since as soon as I became a roadgeek). Both SD and WY probably wouldn't want to go through the hassle of re-signing everything, re-naming rural roads, etc. especially if they were told to do it.

Now, if WYDOT wanted to be neighborly enough to reroute US 16 onto US 14 past Gillette, and renumber US 14A as US 16A, SDDOT would have no problem at all with the idea of truncating US 14 at Wall (or even as far east as US 83 at Blunt).

Buffalo and Worland would not be happy, they heavily market that route as "The Best Way to Yellowstone Trademark".

[texaskdog]

Both South Dakota DOT and South Dakota's Dept of Tourism would have conniption fits if you suggested US 16/US 16A should ever be renumbered or removed from the US highway system. For reasons that should be obvious to one and all.

It is not obvious to me at all why either agency would be dead-set against renumbering them.  Removing them, ma-a-a-aybe.

IMO, as a Hills native, US 16 is used heavily in marketing, for local businesses, municipalities, etc. I know it's referring to the Wyoming section, but there's a billboard just west of Spearfish advertising for 16 through the Bighorns and they sign it as US I-16 (here, I've wanted to fix that billboard since as soon as I became a roadgeek). Both SD and WY probably wouldn't want to go through the hassle of re-signing everything, re-naming rural roads, etc. especially if they were told to do it.

Now, if WYDOT wanted to be neighborly enough to reroute US 16 onto US 14 past Gillette, and renumber US 14A as US 16A, SDDOT would have no problem at all with the idea of truncating US 14 at Wall (or even as far east as US 83 at Blunt).

Buffalo and Worland would not be happy, they heavily market that route as "The Best Way to Yellowstone Trademark".

The WORST way to Yellowstone.  14 & 14A are much more scenic.  But it is funny to pass "Brokenback Mountain"

[ClassicHasClass]

but there's a billboard just west of Spearfish advertising for 16 through the Bighorns and they sign it as US I-16

I remember that sign! Stuck out like a sore thumb going by on I-90.

[Bickendan]

US 630 

[Scott5114]

I'm surprised the thread made it this long with nobody mentioning US-266. By the time US-66 was decommissioned, 266 didn't connect to it anymore, and what little is left after I-40 plowed through just connects a few random small towns (or I guess provides an alternate to I-40 if you want to be charitable). About the only use it has is as a good cheap clinching target for roadgeeks to get their first US route clinch without having to go on a multi-day drive.

Part of me wonders if the reason nobody's tried to have it decommissioned is because Oklahoma already has a SH-266, and nobody trusts ODOT to pick a new number instead of just having two of the same route, like they do with a bunch of other numbers.

Per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state_highways_in_Oklahoma, SH 262 can be used on US 266. Especially since the west end of US 266 meets US 62.

I mean, it can be. But given what they did with SH 52, which it intersects...And 74, and 4, and 37, and...

[hbelkins]

I still think 641 qualifies, even with the extension in Tennessee and the new construction in Kentucky.

[Avalanchez71]

US 641, to me, is the textbook example.

Even with the extension to US 64?   

[dvferyance]

US 266. For one it's parent no longer exist it's super short and some maps don't even mark it.

[JKRhodes]

How about US 163? Aside from it being nowhere near US 63, why isn't this just a state highway? It's also really short at only 64 miles. I know it serves 2 states so it's legal, but why?

This one did come to my mind, only because it could easily be two state highways.  I think also it probably being the most photographed US highway in the system more than makes up for its justification to be a US highway.

You guys should really look up what is going on with US 191 north of US 160 to the Utah State Line.

I have driven it more than once.  It's part of a larger route, so there is no point decommissioning 5 miles of it.  I only thought of US-163 because of its short length and number being so random, but again, it's photographic prowess more than makes up for it.  US-191 is a border to border so why get picky about 5 miles of it?

But is 191 actually continuous?  I don't believe that's ever actually been really answered given the gap in ADOT maintenance.

Elsewhere in Arizona there's also a gap in 191 between its terminus at State Route 80, to the disconnected "Business 191" along Pan American Ave in the town of Douglas.

If anything, from an academic standpoint, 191 is a good example of jarring diversity in construction and ROW aspects along a single route. I'm not aware of any other US route that transitions from a 4-lane divided highway, to a small town 2-lane street, to a "temporary" alignment on mine property that shifts periodically to accommodate changes in mine operations, to a scenic two-lane forest road on US Forest Service land, all within a span of less than 20 miles. Not to mention all of its other quirks in other places.

To be fair, I'm not sure any of that adds to its usefulness as a route to the average traveler.

[JKRhodes]

US 285 between Alamosa and Poncha Springs, Colorado. It's much faster to take CO 17 through Hooper.

[SD Mapman]

US 285 between Alamosa and Poncha Springs, Colorado. It's much faster to take CO 17 through Hooper.

I mean that's just that section; the entire route overall seems pretty useful to me...

[silverback1065]

us 136 is pretty useless.

[ethanhopkin14]

Federal Route 31W?

[JayhawkCO]

us 136 is pretty useless.

Northern Missouri wouldn't say so.

[Max Rockatansky]

Federal Route 31W?

Careful, Calrog might copyright strike you.

[kphoger]

Federal Route 31W?

Careful, Calrog might copyright strike you.

Just to clarify:  Federal routes are the intellectual property of a little green shrub.