State Route 305 | ||||
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Austin – Battle Mountain Road | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by NDOT | ||||
Length: | 87.717 mi (141.167 km) | |||
Existed: | 1976 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end: | US 50 in Austin | |||
North end: | SR 304 in Battle Mountain | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 305 (SR 305) is a state highway in Lander County, Nevada. It is the only state highway to connect the southern and northern areas of the county. It runs north from U.S. Route 50 at Austin to Battle Mountain, where it crosses Interstate 80 and ends at State Route 304.
State Route 305 begins just northwest of the town limits of Austin, Nevada. From there, the route heads in a northerly direction through the Reese River Valley, generally paralleling the Reese River. The highway passes near many ranches and mining sites. After about 20 miles (32 km), SR 305 curves slightly more westward, crossing through the Shoshone Range. The route continues northward, passing the Valley of the Moon along the trek through Reese River Valley. As the route nears the vicinity of the Battle Mountains, it curves northeast to head to the town of the same name. Along this stretch of highway, near milepost 110, are several dirt roads providing access to numerous mining sites. Soon afterward, SR 305 enters Battle Mountain along Broad Street, crossing under Interstate 80 and ending in the middle of the town at an intersection with Front Street (SR 304/I-80 Business).
A five-mile section of SR 305 is the site of a yearly human-powered vehicle (HPV) speed record competition conducted by the IHPVA (International Human Powered Vehicle Association), with the record set to 89.59 mph (144.18 kph) on September 17, 2016. During repaving in 2009, special attention was paid to the five mile stretch to make sure it was the flattest and smoothest road in the world. It is very slightly downhill, with an average slope of less than 2/3 of one percent, per IHPVA rules.