If you’ve driven through North Dakota before, you know it tends to be pretty uneventful. The roads are long and straight with few curves. Highways stretch for miles and miles ahead and seem endless, especially on hot summer days when the rippling mirage effect happens. With all this in mind, you might be surprised to hear that the shortest highway in North Dakota might also be one of the shortest in the entire country! Believe it or not, this tiny stretch of road is possibly record-breaking:
North Dakota has many highways, most pretty straight forward - and we mean that literally. Unless you’re driving through the badlands, they are long, straight, and if you’re in the east, flat.
Jimmy Emerson/Flickr
It’s not surprising to hear North Dakota claims it has the longest, straightest stretch of road in North America. This long section of highway has seldom a curve or bump. It’s Highway 46, shown below heading west.
Google maps
Depending on who you ask, the answer as to how long and what counts as being part of the longest stretch varies. For some, it’s over 100 miles from I-29 all the way to Gackle. To others, it’s a specific 40-mile stretch that is precisely straight with no deviations at all. Either way, it’s impressively long.
Google maps
That’s not the surprising part of North Dakota’s highway records, though. It has tons of long highways. What is surprising, however, is what is hiding in the pleasant town of Harvey, North Dakota.
Andrew Filer/Flickr
Right on the edge of Harvey, connecting two other roads - Highway 52 and Highway 3 - is a tiny stretch of road at only 0.28 miles long, yet is officially designated as a highway.
Google maps
This is Highway 91, which is possibly the shortest highway in the United States. If you start on the Highway 52 side, you’ll go around a small curve and…
Google maps
…after a short, less-than-a-minute-long stretch, you’re already at the other end!
Google maps
Longest, straightest highway and shortest highway – North Dakota sure does have some special roads! If you’d like to traverse this tiny highway yourself, head to the small town of Harvey. You could easily walk along the edge within 10 minutes and say you’ve walked a whole highway from start to finish.
Jimmy Emerson/Flickr
Google maps
Andrew Filer/Flickr
Residents of Harvey are considering making commemorative t-shirts or signs about the highway. It certainly is a fun little thing to boast about! Did you know that another ND small town has a special highway? It’s basically a huge art gallery. Check out the Enchanted Highway in North Dakota and see it for yourself.
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Address: ND-91, Harvey, ND 58341, USA
