Lombard Street in San Francisco is considered the most crooked street in the world. This one way street has eight hairpin turns on it and is only 600 foot in length as it is laid out. If you straightened the road, it would measure 412.5 feet in length.
Lombard street was designed to compensate the steepness of the landscape in this neighborhood. If the road was made without turns, it would have a 27 percent grade, too difficult for any type of vehicle to maneuver. Even as it stands, this road has nearly a five percent grade and remains very difficult to drive. The posted speed limit for the road is five miles per hour.
Lombard Street is actually a very long street in San Francisco, but it is often separated by other streets or has the name changed in different areas of the city. The part that is classified as the most crooked street is the street located in the Russian Hill neighborhood.
