AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: Some one on April 26, 2020, 07:11:49 PM

Title: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: Some one on April 26, 2020, 07:11:49 PM
With the rise of interstate highways, a lot of US Highways have been truncated (and decommissioned) over the past few decades. As a result, there has been a lot of spur routes that are longer than their parent (i.e US 421 and US 191). However, a route doesn't have to be truncated for it the be shorter than its spur. For example, because of eastern and western extensions, US 278 is longer than its parent route. Any other example?
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: US 89 on April 26, 2020, 07:36:32 PM
If we're limiting to cases where the parent route was NOT truncated, the only one that comes to mind is US 202.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: sprjus4 on April 26, 2020, 07:47:17 PM
US-81 is 1,220 miles long; US-281 is 1,875 miles long, approximately 655 miles longer than its parent.

This is due to I-35 overtaking its route from Fort Worth to Laredo, though even then it only overtake the southern 432 miles, so technically US-281 would've still been longer.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: oscar on April 26, 2020, 07:49:32 PM
US 180 is about 100 miles longer than the truncated US 80.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on April 26, 2020, 07:57:07 PM
US 199 is longer than US 99. US 138 is also longer than its parent.  :bigass:
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: ozarkman417 on April 26, 2020, 08:20:50 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on April 26, 2020, 07:57:07 PM
US 199 is longer than US 99. US 138 is also longer than its parent.  :bigass:
By that logic US 166 and US 266 are longer than US 66
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: Terry Shea on April 26, 2020, 09:29:12 PM
Quote from: US 89 on April 26, 2020, 07:36:32 PM
If we're limiting to cases where the parent route was NOT truncated, the only one that comes to mind is US 202.
US 2 is more than 3 times longer than US 202.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: Some one on April 26, 2020, 09:40:05 PM
Quote from: Terry Shea on April 26, 2020, 09:29:12 PM
Quote from: US 89 on April 26, 2020, 07:36:32 PM
If we're limiting to cases where the parent route was NOT truncated, the only one that comes to mind is US 202.
US 2 is more than 3 times longer than US 202.
Depends. If we're talking about the route as a whole, then you're correct. If we're talking about the western segment then it's still longer. But if it's the eastern segment, then US 202 wins.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: Roadgeekteen on April 26, 2020, 09:42:31 PM
I-238 is longer than I-38  :bigass:
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: Hwy 61 Revisited on April 26, 2020, 10:51:43 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 26, 2020, 09:42:31 PM
I-238 is longer than I-38  :bigass:


On that note, US 199 is longer than 299. But shorter than all the SR 99s.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: amroad17 on April 27, 2020, 01:42:44 AM
I believe 3 of the x21 US Highways (221, 321, 421) are longer than the current length of US 21--which, yes, was truncated in the 1970's.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: Roadgeekteen on April 27, 2020, 10:17:37 AM
Tons of US highways. Any non US highway examples?
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: GaryV on April 27, 2020, 11:18:39 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 27, 2020, 10:17:37 AM
Tons of US highways. Any non US highway examples?
Unlikely.

For Interstates, the 3di does not function in the same way as a 3dus.  An even 3di is only a loop or partial loop, so its length is generally limited. An odd 3di as a spur may have a longer length, but again it's usually a shorter length.  All you'd need to do is look at the few longer 3di's, like I-476, and find that they are not longer than their parent.  A 3dus is used to connect to to other localities, as a child rather than a spur, so they often can be a longer route, sometimes as we've seen longer than their parent. 

There might be some states that use 3 (or even 4) digits as a child route, but not that many.  So again the chances of a child, if one even exists, is less likely to be longer than its parent.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: hotdogPi on April 27, 2020, 11:21:47 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 27, 2020, 10:17:37 AM
Tons of US highways. Any non US highway examples?

I looked at a list of all routes in New England. I found none, considering both alternates (e.g. MA 32A for MA 32) and relevant 3-digit state routes (e.g. MA 203 for MA 3 and MA 213 for MA 113).

The most likely possibility would have been an alternate that's a coastal loop while the mainline is direct, but there were no examples of that type.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: stevashe on August 05, 2020, 03:00:20 PM
Quote from: GaryV on April 27, 2020, 11:18:39 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 27, 2020, 10:17:37 AM
Tons of US highways. Any non US highway examples?
Unlikely.

For Interstates, the 3di does not function in the same way as a 3dus.  An even 3di is only a loop or partial loop, so its length is generally limited. An odd 3di as a spur may have a longer length, but again it's usually a shorter length.  All you'd need to do is look at the few longer 3di's, like I-476, and find that they are not longer than their parent.  A 3dus is used to connect to to other localities, as a child rather than a spur, so they often can be a longer route, sometimes as we've seen longer than their parent. 

There might be some states that use 3 (or even 4) digits as a child route, but not that many.  So again the chances of a child, if one even exists, is less likely to be longer than its parent.

Washington actually has a pretty robust system of child routes, but with a numbering system opposite to Interstate and US highways. (e.g. children of State Route 14 are numbered 14x.)

I have found one example of a child being longer than its parent: SR 231 is 75 miles long, which is longer than SR 23 with a length of only 66 miles.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: MikieTimT on August 05, 2020, 04:08:08 PM
US-400 :-D
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: ethanhopkin14 on August 05, 2020, 04:40:46 PM
Quote from: 1 on April 27, 2020, 11:21:47 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 27, 2020, 10:17:37 AM
Tons of US highways. Any non US highway examples?

I looked at a list of all routes in New England. I found none, considering both alternates (e.g. MA 32A for MA 32) and relevant 3-digit state routes (e.g. MA 203 for MA 3 and MA 213 for MA 113).

The most likely possibility would have been an alternate that's a coastal loop while the mainline is direct, but there were no examples of that type.

This is a good question.   Do you count alternates as a whole against the standard route as a whole or just the section the alternate is bypassing.  If it's the later, US 90A in Texas is longer than US 90 between termini in Seguin and Houston.
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: Bickendan on August 06, 2020, 09:12:27 AM
Quote from: Hwy 61 Revisited on April 26, 2020, 10:51:43 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 26, 2020, 09:42:31 PM
I-238 is longer than I-38  :bigass:


On that note, US 199 is longer than 299. But shorter than all the SR 99s.
But is it longer than I-99?
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: ethanhopkin14 on August 06, 2020, 09:25:46 AM
Isn't US 191 now longer than it's parent?  Truncation of US 91 and renaming of US 666 are the culprits. 
Title: Re: Spur routes longer than their parent route
Post by: US 89 on August 06, 2020, 09:27:41 AM
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on August 06, 2020, 09:25:46 AM
Isn't US 191 now longer than it's parent?  Truncation of US 91 and renaming of US 666 are the culprits.

yes, and so is 491