U.S. Route 11

Southern terminus at US 90 in New Orleans, Louisiana

US 11 spans 31.2 miles (50.2 km) within the state of Louisiana. Its southern terminus is located in New Orleans East at a junction with US 90 (Chef Menteur Highway). The route begins as a two-lane highway that travels northward through a remote stretch of marshland within both the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge and the New Orleans city limits. After crossing over I-10 at exit 254, US 11 proceeds across Lake Pontchartrain on the Maestri Bridge, a 4.8-mile-long (7.7 km) span dating from 1928 that parallels the I-10 Twin Span Bridge. Midway across the lake, US 11 enters unincorporated St. Tammany Parish. Upon reaching the north shore, US 11 follows Pontchartrain Drive into the city of Slidell, where it becomes a busy four-lane commercial corridor.[12][13]

After a brief concurrency with Louisiana Highway 433 (LA 433), US 11 turns onto Front Street and travels alongside the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) line through Slidell's historic district. During this stretch, the route intersects both US 190 Business (Fremaux Avenue) and mainline US 190 (Gause Boulevard), both four-lane thoroughfares connecting with nearby I-10. Returning to two-lane capacity, US 11 crosses to the west side of the NS line on a narrow overpass built in 1937. At the north end of the city, US 11 intersects I-12 at exit 83, which is located just west of a major interchange with I-10 and I-59.[12][14]

A few miles later, US 11 enters the town of Pearl River and intersects LA 41 (Watts Road). Here, the route turns southeast onto Concord Boulevard and proceeds a short distance to exit 3 on I-59. US 11 turns north onto I-59 and utilizes the four-lane Interstate alignment for the remainder of its distance in Louisiana. Following a second interchange serving the small town, I-59 and US 11 cross the West Pearl River into the dense Honey Island Swamp. Along this stretch is an exit connecting to Old US 11, a remnant of the pre-Interstate alignment that provides access to Pearl River Wildlife Management Area. US 11 crosses into the state of Mississippi with I-59 on a bridge spanning the main branch of the Pearl River just south of Nicholson, Mississippi.[12][14]

US 11 runs for approximately 173 miles (278 km) in Mississippi. It enters the state along I-59, passing through several groves of trees. After a short distance, US 11 and I-59 interchange at exit 1 with Mississippi Highway 607 (MS 607), where MS 607 ends and US 11 takes over its northeastern alignment away from I-59. US 11 generally parallels I-59 across Mississippi, serving as a local business route and following city streets through communities such as Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Meridian, where I-59 begins a concurrency with I-20 eastbound. It leaves the state east of Meridian concurrent with US 80, entering the state of Alabama.

US 11 spans 250.671 miles (403.416 km) in Alabama. It and US 80 split three miles (4.8 km) into Alabama near Cuba, with US 80 following an eastward track toward Demopolis. US 11, in contrast, continues to parallel the I-20/I-59 freeway through Livingston to Eutaw, where US 11 joins US 43. The overlapping routes proceed northeast to Tuscaloosa, where US 43 splits from US 11 and heads north. US 11, however, continues along the I-20/I-59 corridor to Birmingham. US 11 overlaps I-20/59 for approximately 12 miles (19 km) between Woodstock and Bessemer. From Bessemer into Birmingham, the route is locally known as the "Bessemer Superhighway". US 11 is cosigned with State Route 5 (SR 5) between Woodstock and Birmingham. US 11 through the western side of Birmingham is known as the Bessemer Superhighway and 3rd Avenue West. It passes near the Alabama State Fairgrounds, Rickwood Field (one of the oldest baseball stadiums in the U.S.), and Legion Field (known for hosting football games). On the east side of Birmingham, US 11 is known locally as 1st Avenue North and as Roebuck Parkway.

West of downtown Birmingham, US 11 intersects US 78. US 78 turns east onto US 11, forming an overlap as the roadway enters the heart of the city. In the midst of the city center, US 78 breaks from US 11, progressing south of US 11 as the two routes exit the city. East of downtown, I-20 splits from I-59, with US 11 following I-59 to the northeast. US 11 passes through Gadsden and Fort Payne before crossing into Georgia 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Hammondville.

Throughout Alabama, US 11 is paired with unsigned State Route 7 (SR 7).

Until 1955, US 11 was routed to Ashville and Gadsden following the current routes of SR 23 and US 411 and followed Third Street and went west on Forrest Avenue in downtown Gadsden. It was relocated to its present route to Attalla, with the original route designated as an alternate route until 1963.

The routes that corresponds to US 11's route in Alabama includes the Bear Meat Cabin Road (Huntsville Road), the Rome and Tuscaloosa Road (also called "Georgia Road") from Birmingham, and the Chattanooga Road (also called Alabama Road) from Attalla.

After entering the state from Alabama, US 11 and State Route 58 (SR 58) travel northeast, parallel to I-59, through the valley between Sand and Lookout mountains. The routes travel through the county seat of Dade County, Trenton, where they are briefly concurrent with SR 136. In the community of Wildwood, US 11 and SR 58 intersect the eastern terminus of SR 299 before continuing north into Tennessee. US 11 extends 23 miles (37 km) within the state's borders.

US 11 and SR 58 see an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 5,000 vehicles or more north of Trenton.[15] However, most of the route's through traffic has been diverted to I-59, which closely parallels the route not only in Georgia but also in Alabama and Mississippi.

US 11 along Lee Highway, south of Lenoir City, Tennessee

US 11 enters Tennessee west of Chattanooga. The route, concurrent with State Route 38 (SR 38) from the state line north, runs parallel to I-24 for three miles (4.8 km) to an intersection with Cummings Highway (US 41/US 64/US 72/SR 2). While SR 38 terminates here, US 11 follows the highway east into downtown Chattanooga. At the intersection of Broad Street and East 23rd Street, US 11 and US 64 separate from US 41 and US 72 and follow East 23rd east through downtown. The routes briefly overlap with US 41, here concurrent to US 76, on Dodds Avenue before resuming an easterly progression on Brainerd Road thereafter called Lee Highway. The road is also called Lee Highway in southwestern Virginia.

East of downtown, I-24 terminates while I-75 continues east along the I-24 right-of-way. US 11 and US 64 continue to the northeast, paralleling I-75 to Cleveland. In Downtown Cleveland, US 64 separates from US 11, following US 74 east out of the city.

US 11 remains close to I-75 as it heads north, passing through Athens, Sweetwater, Loudon, and Lenoir City before entering Farragut. On the western edge of town, US 11 merges with US 70 at Dixie Lee Junction to form Kingston Pike. The routes remain joined for just over 20 miles (32 km) as they pass through Farragut and West Knoxville before diverging again in Downtown Knoxville.

In East Knoxville, US 11 splits into US 11W and US 11E, with US 70 following US 11E.

Traversing 120.9 miles (194.6 km) from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Bristol, Virginia, US 11E connects the cities and towns of New Market, Jefferson City, Morristown, Greeneville, Tusculum, Jonesborough, Johnson City, Bluff City, and Bristol, all in Tennessee. After crossing into Virginia, it reconnects with US 11W.

Traversing 111.2 miles (179.0 km) from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Bristol, Virginia, US 11W connects the cities and towns of Blaine, Rutledge, Bean Station, Rogersville, Surgoinsville, Church Hill, Mount Carmel, and Kingsport, all in Tennessee. After crossing into Virginia, it reconnects with US 11E.

View south along US 11 near SR 256 in Weyers Cave, Augusta County, Virginia

US 11W and US 11E rejoin as US 11 in Bristol less than a mile north of the Tennessee–Virginia state line. As Lee Highway, US 11 proceeds northeastward through Abingdon, Wytheville, and Radford. In this area, I-81 was constructed parallel to US 11.

At Christiansburg, US 11 joins US 460 and the two routes overlap for 28 miles (45 km) to Salem, where the two highways split. US 11 winds through Roanoke on several roads, sometimes opposite the signed direction.

Part of the Carolina Road, a colonial trail, follows the roadbed of US 11, also known as the Lee Highway, through Virginia. Near Cloverdale is the historical marker: "This is the old road from Pennsylvania to the Yadkin Valley, over which in early times settlers passed going south. On it were the Black Horse Tavern and the Tinker Creek Presbyterian Church."[16]

From Roanoke, the highway continues through Buchanan, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley. (Between Buchanan and Lexington, US 11 passes over famed Natural Bridge). I-81 was constructed parallel to US 11 through many of these cities, although it generally bypassed the smaller towns. US 11 enters West Virginia about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Winchester. Through the Great Appalachian Valley, US 11 follows much of former Valley Pike, a former colonial trace and important roadway during the Civil War.

US 11 enters West Virginia less than 200 yards (180 m) southeast of I-81. US 11 heads northeast for about 35 miles (56 km) through Berkeley County, passing through Inwood, Martinsburg, and Falling Waters before crossing the Potomac River into Maryland. The road is known as Winchester Avenue south of Martinsburg and as Williamsport Pike north of the city.

In Maryland, US 11 passes over the Potomac River into Williamsport and through Hagerstown in Washington County before crossing the Mason–Dixon line into Pennsylvania. I-81 was constructed along much the same route in the 1960s.

US 11 northbound in Danville, Pennsylvania

US 11 and I-81 enter Pennsylvania south of Greencastle. Known as the Molly Pitcher highway, US 11 follows I-81 northeast through the Cumberland Valley, running parallel to each other as they pass through Chambersburg, Shippensburg, and Carlisle. Northeast of Carlisle in Middlesex Township, US 11 interchanges with the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) and I-81 in succession. US 11, now to the south of I-81, continues eastward into the western suburbs of Harrisburg as the Carlisle Pike.

In Camp Hill, a close suburb of Harrisburg, US 11 stops paralleling I-81 and joins US 15 northward through the western suburbs of Harrisburg. As the road exits the Harrisburg area, US 11 and US 15 begin to parallel the Susquehanna River as both head northward. The two routes remain overlapped to an intersection in Shamokin Dam, where US 15 branches off to the northwest, following the path of the West Branch Susquehanna River northward. US 11, in contrast, continues to parallel the main Susquehanna River, passing through municipalities such as Danville, Bloomsburg, and Berwick prior to reaching Wilkes-Barre.

In Wilkes-Barre, US 11 breaks from the Susquehanna and begins to run parallel to I-81 once more. From Wilkes-Barre, the highway goes through nearby Scranton, becoming the North Scranton Expressway north of downtown. In Clarks Summit, just north of Scranton, US 11 intersects US 6. US 6 joins US 11 westward to Factoryville, where US 11 separates from US 6 and resumes its northerly trek through Susquehanna County to the New York–Pennsylvania border.

Northern terminus

US 11 proceeds northwestward through New York from the Pennsylvania border to Binghamton. US 11 and I-81 continue to parallel each other as they head north through Cortland and Syracuse. The route continues northward to Watertown. US 11 heads northeast from Watertown, passing along the northern edge of Fort Drum and traversing a number of towns and villages, including Canton and Potsdam. US 11 passes north of the Adirondack Park passing through Malone. At Rouses Point, US 11 joins New York State Route 9B and heads north to the Rouses Point–Lacolle 223 Border Crossing, becoming Route 223.