Washington State Route 213

State Route 213 (SR 213) is the shortest state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. The 0.35 mi unsigned highway serves Malott, a community in Okanogan County. Extending from U.S. Route 97 (US 97) over the Okanogan River via a bridge to First Avenue in Malott, the roadway is semi-complete, as state law designates that the road should extend to SR 20 southwest of Okanogan. First appearing in a map in 1954, SR 213 originated as a branch of Primary State Highway 16 (PSH 16) in 1959 and later SR 20 Spur in 1964. SR 20 Spur became SR 213 in 1973 because another SR 20 Spur was recently established in Anacortes.

Route description


SR 213 originates at an intersection with US 97 south of Malott. Traveling northwest and turning northeast, the unsigned roadway crosses the Cascade and Columbia River Railroad and the Okanogan River near the confluence of the Okanogan River and Loup Loup Creek. After crossing the Okanogan River, the highway enters Malott and terminates at First Avenue, although state law dictates that eventually the road will be extended to SR 20 southwest of Okanogan. An estimated daily average of 740 motorists utilized SR 213 in 2008.

History
SR 213 originated as a minor road that connected US 97 to the area south of the Okanogan River and Malott; the road first appeared on a map in 1954. In 1959, the Washington State Legislature passed a law that created a branch of PSH 16 that extended from PSH 16 near Okanogan to US 97 in Malott to take effect on July 1, 1961. By 1963, US 97 was realigned south of the Okanogan River and the PSH 16 branch was extended across the river. During a highway renumbering in 1964, PSH 16 became SR 20 and the branch of PSH 16 became SR 20 Spur. In 1973, SR 20 Spur became SR 213, while another SR 20 Spur was established in Anacortes. Beginning in 2008, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has been maintaining a short, 0.35 mi segment of the proposed SR 213 as the a state route. The highway between Malott and SR 20 will be eventually built as state law dictates it.