Shortest highways

[kurumi]

Thread reanimated (a second time): in Japan, a neat sign commemorating the shortness of Route 174 made a Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapaneseInTheWild/comments/92fxyf/intermediate_what_makes_this_location_unique/

Sign text: 日本で一番短い道路です (This is the shortest highway in Japan) - L = 187.1 m

It's a spur connecting Route 2 to the port of Kobe.
Start: https://goo.gl/maps/pZMNTdET3F12
End and view of sign: https://goo.gl/maps/rkG1kLZp2kK2

[SCtoKC]

The highway in my avatar is just one mile long.  It runs between US 281 and the Geographic Center of the Contiguous US in Lebanon.  Spur highways like that are common in Kansas to connect parks, psychiatric hospitals, and historic sites to main highways.  The shortest one is K-247 in Ellis, which is about 650 feet long.

[sparker]

Funny no one's mentioned the shortest CA state highways:
     Shortest with any signage other than bridge ID's/mileposts:  CA 153, 0.50 miles,
     from CA 49 near Coloma to Marshall State Park (where gold was ostensibly first
     found).  One standard reassurance shield; no trailblazers.
     Shortest, period:  CA 283, 0.36 miles, from US 101 near Rio Dell to the north end
     of the Eel River bridge.  It's there just to keep state maintenance on the old US 101
     truss bridge, the sole south access point to the town.

[bing101]

CA 151

CA 263

What else can anyone think of?

What is the point of having highways that are incredibly short and could easily be replaced with a business loop but most of the time are just signed with them?

I-705 Washington State only 1.5 miles



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_375_(Michigan)


I-375 in Michigan is the shortest freeway In the country.

CA-244 is Sacramento's shortest freeway that was originally going to be an extension of Beltline Freeway but instead became a ramp.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_380_(California)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_244


I-380 the shortest interstate in California with the original intent of expanding to Pacifica and part of rumored extension to Southern Crossing.

[bing101]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_103




Terminal Island Freeway is Los Angeles area's shortest freeway.


CA-480 San Francisco was the Bay Areas shortest freeway with the original intent to connect to I-280 and also connecting to Presidio Parkway/ Doyle Drive area.

[bing101]

I think there is some highway in Kentucky that is 37 feet long.  I don't know what the shortest *signed* highway is.

What What only 37 feet?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state_highways_in_Kentucky_shorter_than_one_mile


But Kentucky 410 is the shortest signed route in the state.

[oscar]

Hawaii's HI 442 is a spur from Lanai's main drag HI 440 to Lanai City. It's only 0.03 mile long. GMSV shows it signed as part of HI 440, but 442 might've been established after GMSV's camera car visited the island in 2011.

Shortest signed route in Hawaii is HI 32A (short spur to Kahului Harbor), at 0.41 mile.

[Flint1979]

I'll skip over Michigan and do Indiana's instead.

SR-520 is simply a connector between US-12 and US-20 and is only about 1,000 feet long.

I chose Indiana because I've actually drove on this highway and I'm pretty sure it's shorter than Michigan's shortest highway.

[Flint1979]

CA 151

CA 263

What else can anyone think of?

What is the point of having highways that are incredibly short and could easily be replaced with a business loop but most of the time are just signed with them?

I-705 Washington State only 1.5 miles



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_375_(Michigan)


I-375 in Michigan is the shortest freeway In the country.

CA-244 is Sacramento's shortest freeway that was originally going to be an extension of Beltline Freeway but instead became a ramp.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_380_(California)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_244


I-380 the shortest interstate in California with the original intent of expanding to Pacifica and part of rumored extension to Southern Crossing.

I-375 is the shortest signed Interstate, it's part of the Chrysler Freeway. I-75 is actually the Interstate that switches freeways and I-375 just continues as the Chrysler which is what I-75 is north of downtown.

[Hurricane Rex]

This is a stretch but WA SR 168: 0 inches, it is a "highway" over Naches pass however isn't built nor are there plans to. It is a highway by law. This was also supposed to be the alignment of I-82 originally according to some sources.

LG-TP260

[bulldog1979]

I-375 is the shortest signed Interstate, it's part of the Chrysler Freeway. I-75 is actually the Interstate that switches freeways and I-375 just continues as the Chrysler which is what I-75 is north of downtown.

Actually, I-110 in Texas is shorter (0.92 mi. v. 1.06 mi.), and now signed.

[bulldog1979]

I'll skip over Michigan and do Indiana's instead.

SR-520 is simply a connector between US-12 and US-20 and is only about 1,000 feet long.

I chose Indiana because I've actually drove on this highway and I'm pretty sure it's shorter than Michigan's shortest highway.

The shortest signed highway in Michigan is M-212 at 0.732 mi., beating out Bus. M-32 (0.738 mi._ by 0.006 mi. The shortest unsigned designation is BS I-375 at 0.167 mi., unless you want to count Old M-55 west of Cadillac at 0.044 mi.

[Flint1979]

I'll skip over Michigan and do Indiana's instead.

SR-520 is simply a connector between US-12 and US-20 and is only about 1,000 feet long.

I chose Indiana because I've actually drove on this highway and I'm pretty sure it's shorter than Michigan's shortest highway.

The shortest signed highway in Michigan is M-212 at 0.732 mi., beating out Bus. M-32 (0.738 mi._ by 0.006 mi. The shortest unsigned designation is BS I-375 at 0.167 mi., unless you want to count Old M-55 west of Cadillac at 0.044 mi.

Yeah most of the three digit state highways are shorter. I think M-115 is one of the longer three digits without looking it up but it seems like most of the time the three digit state highways serve state parks or destinations rather than ending at another highway. M-247 is probably the closest example of that to me and M-212 serves the same purpose M-247 does. The only thing is M-247 is about 3 miles long compared to M-212 being about 3/4 of a mile long.

I've known about Indiana SR-520 and didn't think Michigan had a shorter highway.

[GaryV]

I'll skip over Michigan and do Indiana's instead.

SR-520 is simply a connector between US-12 and US-20 and is only about 1,000 feet long.

I chose Indiana because I've actually drove on this highway and I'm pretty sure it's shorter than Michigan's shortest highway.

The first assigning of numbers in Michigan was done in decreasing order of length.  M-10 through M-61.

The shortest signed highway in Michigan is M-212 at 0.732 mi., beating out Bus. M-32 (0.738 mi._ by 0.006 mi. The shortest unsigned designation is BS I-375 at 0.167 mi., unless you want to count Old M-55 west of Cadillac at 0.044 mi.

Yeah most of the three digit state highways are shorter. I think M-115 is one of the longer three digits without looking it up but it seems like most of the time the three digit state highways serve state parks or destinations rather than ending at another highway. M-247 is probably the closest example of that to me and M-212 serves the same purpose M-247 does. The only thing is M-247 is about 3 miles long compared to M-212 being about 3/4 of a mile long.

I've known about Indiana SR-520 and didn't think Michigan had a shorter highway.

When Michigan originally numbered the highways the numbers were assigned in order of decreasing length, from M-10 through M-61.

Then as routes were added, they were numbered roughly in order.  There's a few exceptions, probably when a route was proposed and numbered, but didn't get commissioned for a year or two later.

When the US highways were commissioned, a few routes were numbered in conjunction with the US routes.  E.g. M-131 was added as an extension of US-131.

When we get into the 1930's, the pattern breaks down somewhat, although as the lower numbers were mostly already in use, the numbers are still increasing.  But as routes get changed, decommissioned, combined, etc. the new routes sometimes were given older numbers that were no longer in use.

And in later years, numbers were sometimes assigned based on some relationship to other roads.  Examples M-143 replaced part of M-43; M-121 was used when Chicago Drive was assumed back into the numbered system (it had been M-21 before that route number was truncated.)  M-553 took over the county highway numbers the road previously had.  And some routes were given Interstate-style "spur" or "bypass" numbers like M-199 (near M-99), M-294 and most recently M-231.

So having longish 3-digit routes like M-115 and M-123 shouldn't be surprising.  It just reflects what numbers were available at the time they came about.

[bing101]

Funny no one's mentioned the shortest CA state highways:
     Shortest with any signage other than bridge ID's/mileposts:  CA 153, 0.50 miles,
     from CA 49 near Coloma to Marshall State Park (where gold was ostensibly first
     found).  One standard reassurance shield; no trailblazers.
     Shortest, period:  CA 283, 0.36 miles, from US 101 near Rio Dell to the north end
     of the Eel River bridge.  It's there just to keep state maintenance on the old US 101
     truss bridge, the sole south access point to the town.

Ca-114 in Palo Alto, ca it's .9 miles long

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_114

[formulanone]

Mississippi seems to have dozens of little highways in the 700-900 range, although few are signed. (700s usually appear, but 800s are rare birds, and 900s are coelacanths.) Some of them appear to be no more than a block or two long, which connect a post office or town center with another state/US highway, or to a state park entrance.

I found a map on MDOT, but can't find a mileage log.

[Max Rockatansky]

Interesting to see the first three posters back in 2009 have all become unpersons....

Anyways, something I noticed in the original post was that OP was way wrong about California.  The shortest state highway here is CA 275 which is the Tower Bridge at 0.14 miles.

https://www.cahighways.org/stats1.html#Shortest_Hwy

Interestingly the shortest "Signed" State Highway is CA 153 but it is third overall behind CA 275 and 283:

153CAa by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

[gonealookin]

I like to take my bicycle out to the Smith Valley, and one that has always baffled me out there is NV 825.  It's part of Smith Gage Road.  The state highway starts at the intersection of NV 824, right in front of Smith Valley High School.  It goes west for 0.415 mile (per state highway log) to somebody's driveway, at which point the state highway ends and Smith Gage Road continues as a paved county road.  My best guess is that the driveway owner at some point had some pull with the local politician and was tired of hitting potholes in the county road, but really I have no idea what the history of that would be.

[bing101]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_109

CA-109 another route that's considered Palo Alto's shortest state Highway after CA-114.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_262

CA-262 is a 1.070 mi state route in Fremont

CA-242 is a short freeway in Walnut Creek,CA only 3.3 miles long.

[bzakharin]

NJ 59, at 0.15 miles, is the shortest numbered state highway in New Jersey, and it is signed at least in one place:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6548598,-74.313477,3a,75y,243.74h,96.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHrbFv5JffZWWlpMqOmLVzQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

NJ 76C (unsigned) is the shortest numbered freeway at 1.22 miles. NJ 90, at 3.22 miles, is the shortest signed freeway, though it enters PA and continues as an unnumbered freeway for about a mile to I-95. If that distance is counted, NJ 133 becomes the shortest freeway at 4.06 miles.

[froggie]

I found a map on MDOT, but can't find a mileage log.

A route log, including mileages, is in their Selected Statistics book.  Note:  listed mileages do not include concurrencies.

[formulanone]

I found a map on MDOT, but can't find a mileage log.

A route log, including mileages, is in their Selected Statistics book.  Note:  listed mileages do not include concurrencies.

Thanks! I'd given up at around page 120 or so the first time I downloaded it.

(Because of course it's Section F-1...page 161 and further.)

[CapeCodder]

VT 26. I think it's 69 feet long.

[Kulerage]

The shortest (non letter-spur) Maryland state route I know of is MD 963, which is 0.01 mi long, or about 50 ft.

What is the point of this highway, if it even exists amymore

[US 89]

Utah's shortest signed state highway is SR 103, which is a 0.225-mile long connector from SR 126 to I-15. However, there are unsigned routes that are even shorter: SR 304 is a 0.086 mile spur into Hyrum State Park.