Spur routes longer than their parent route

[Some one]

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?

[US 89]

If we're limiting to cases where the parent route was NOT truncated, the only one that comes to mind is US 202.

[sprjus4]

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.

[oscar]

US 180 is about 100 miles longer than the truncated US 80.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

US 199 is longer than US 99. US 138 is also longer than its parent. 

[ozarkman417]

US 199 is longer than US 99. US 138 is also longer than its parent. 

By that logic US 166 and US 266 are longer than US 66

[Terry Shea]

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.

[Some one]

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.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-238 is longer than I-38 

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

I-238 is longer than I-38 

On that note, US 199 is longer than 299. But shorter than all the SR 99s.

[amroad17]

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.

[Roadgeekteen]

Tons of US highways. Any non US highway examples?

[GaryV]

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.

[hotdogPi]

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.

[stevashe]

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.

[MikieTimT]

US-400

[ethanhopkin14]

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.

[Bickendan]

I-238 is longer than I-38 

On that note, US 199 is longer than 299. But shorter than all the SR 99s.

But is it longer than I-99?

[ethanhopkin14]

Isn't US 191 now longer than it's parent?  Truncation of US 91 and renaming of US 666 are the culprits. 

[US 89]

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