What are these used for? 2 left turn lanes going opposite ways and they are very short?

What you're describing sounds like a mutual left-turn lane. Both directions of traffic can use the lane to get out of the "straight" lane and turn left as long as there isn't existing traffic in the turn lane going the opposite direction.

The lanes are marked in the middle with left turn arrows pointing left from both traffic directions. The lane will also be marked with a broken yellow line to the right of a solid yellow line along the lane.

I'll take a wild guess and say they're for making left turns.