U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending 1,645 miles (2,647 km) across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the Rouses Point–Lacolle 223 Border Crossing in Rouses Point, New York. The route continues across the border into Canada as Route 223. US 11, created in 1926, maintains most of its original route. The route north of Knoxville, Tennessee, follows a route similar to Interstate 81 (I-81). While it is signed as a north–south route, it physically travels in a northeast–southwest direction.
U.S. Route 11 | ||||
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US 11 in red, US 11E in blue, and US 11W in magenta | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 1,645 mi (2,647 km) | |||
| Existed | November 11, 1926–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end | US 90 in New Orleans, LA | |||
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| North end | R-223 at the Rouses Point–Lacolle 223 Border Crossing in Rouses Point, NY | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| States | Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Until 1929, US 11 ended just south of Picayune, Mississippi, at the Pearl River border with Louisiana. It was extended through Louisiana after that.
The Maestri Bridge, which carries US 11 across Lake Pontchartrain, served as the only route to New Orleans from the east for six weeks after Hurricane Katrina due to its sturdy construction. The storm virtually destroyed the I-10 Twin Span Bridge and damaged the Fort Pike Bridge on US 90.
I-81, constructed in the 1960s, parallels the route of US 11 in many areas. Beyond I-81's southern terminus, other Interstates run along corridors paralleling US 11, specifically I-59, which is joined to I-81 by I-40, I-75, and I-24.