A Brief Compendium of Abandoned Roads to Nowhere

This post doesn’t require much introduction, only a question. Why is the abandoned road always the most tempting one to take? I found an awesome Flickr group dedicated entirely to disused roads, so let’s take a drive down memory lane…

Lead image: Old Burroughs Road Bridge, Closed truss bridge over the Hushpuckena River in Bolivar County, Mississippi. The old bridge was abandoned when it was bypassed by a new bridge in 1990. (source)

A625 road. This stretch of road was built in 1847 to bypass the narrow Winnat’s Pass near Castleton, Derbyshire. After collapses in 1912, 1933, 1946, 1952, 1966 and 1976 the road was finally abandoned in 1979. It used to link Sheffield with Chapel-en-le Frith in Derbyshire. (source)

Rt 61, Centralia, PA (source)

Rt 61, Centralia, PA. The town of Centralia, PA has been plagued with an underground coal fire for the past 44 years causing most of the population to leave, many of the buildings to be abandoned or burnt, and many places such as along the highway to collapse or shift as the burning sections underground start to cave in. (source)

Old US 50, West of Washington, IN. Bypassed at a river; the old bridge was removed here. (source)

A lava road in Hawaii (source)

National Road. East of Martinsville, IL. (source)

Stockholm – Sockenvägen. Former highway, closed 2004. (source)

It’s been years since this road at Ocean Shores in Grays Harbor County, Washington has been a practical source of transportation. (source)

The Schuylkill Parkway freeway stub in Bridgeport, PA (Source)

Derelict Bay Shore Road Bridge. Abandoned Bay Shore Road Bridge over the Escanaba River in Delta, County, Michigan. The bridge is a continuous concrete T-beam bridge and was built in 1911. (source)

Big Island, Hawaii (source)

Abandoned Old Highway 35 S Bridge over Morgan Creek, Polk County, Texas (source)

Abandoned National Road/US 40, between Indianapolis and the Illinois state line (source)

Carquinez Scenic Drive, California (source)

Carquinez Scenic Drive, California  (source)

Gronningen, Sor-Trondelag, Norway (source)

Kilauea, Hawaii (source)

Oahu, Hawaii (source)

The bridge connects the ghost town of Ellaville in Madison County with Suwannee County, Florida. Old Highway 90, Ellaville. (source)

Abandoned US 40 bridge (source)

Collier,  Florida (source)

Benson County, just South of Churchs Ferry, ND (source)

Discover the Abandoned Roads Flickr group here.

Further reading: The Forbidden Road of the French Alps