US 211
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us 211 view
Photo: US 211 West leaving the Luray area heading for Massanutten Mtn (photo by Adam Froehlig 6/4/08)
From: New Market (Shenandoah County)
To:  Warrenton (Fauquier County)
Total Length:  59.09 miles    
ROUTE LOG
I-81 (exit 264), VA 211: 0 - 0
US 11 SB: 0.26 - 0.26
US 11 NB: 0.27 - 0.53
Page-Shenandoah Line: 3.70 - 4.23
US 340 SB: 2.92 - 7.15
US 211 Bus: 5.82 - 12.97
US 340 NB, US 340 Bus: 1.78 - 14.75
US 211 Bus: 2.47 - 17.22
Skyline Drive: 6.40 - 23.62
Rappahannock-Page Line: 0 - 23.62
US 522 SB: 7.09 - 30.71
US 211 Bus, US 522 Bus: 4.62 - 35.33
US 211 Bus, US 522 Bus: 1.09 - 36.42
US 522 NB: 2.38 - 38.80
Culpeper-Rappahannock Line: 9.17 - 47.97
VA 229: 2.95 - 50.92
Fauquier-Culpeper Line: 0.95 - 51.87
US 17 Bus SB, US 29 Bus SB, US 211 Bus: 5.81 - 57.68
US 17 Bus NB: 0.86 - 58.54
US 15 Bus, US 29 Bus NB, US 211 Bus: 0.55 - 59.09
Creation: Appeared in 1925 as an original US Highway, running from US 11/VA 33 New Market to US 1/VA 31 Alexandria. In this routing, US 211 was added to VA 21 from New Market to Fairfax and VA 36 from Fairfax to Alexandria.

1926 Official
US 211 initial routing: New Market to Alexandria
1926 Official

Adjustments: In November 1926, AASHO's roll out of the US Highway system truncated US 211 to US 50/VA 36 Fairfax. with the routing from Fairfax to Alexandria becoming part of US 50 (now VA 236).
Also in November 1926 there was an attempt by the Southwest Virginia Inc (a regional chamber of commerce) to have all of US 211 renumbered as part of US 9. This didn't get anywhere.
In February 1927, prompted by VDOH, US 211 was extended by AASHO east to Washington DC via Falls Church and Arlington to the Key Bridge as an add-on to the rest of VA 21.
About 1930, US 211 was placed on a new bypass of Sperryville, leaving behind what I believe was VA 37Y (now SR 1001) and CR 111 (now SRs 1002/1003).
Also about 1930, US 211 was removed from today's SR 613/691 Waterloo and Old Waterloo Rd in Culpeper and Fauquier Counties
About 1933, US 211 was placed on a bypass of Fairfax. The old route into central Fairfax remained part of US 50 (now VA 236) and Old Lee Hwy leaving Fairfax became VA 236 (now unnumbered).

1929 Official
US 211 extended to DC
1929 Official
1933 Official
US 211 bypasses Fairfax
1933 Official


About 1937, US 211 was placed on a bypass around the north side of Warrenton, leaving behind US 211 ALT (now mostly US 211 Bus plus Old Alexandria Pike).
In Dec 1947 (CTB), US 29-211 was removed from the SR 674/693 loop at New Baltimore.
In Feb 1951 (CTB), US 211 was given its current New Market routing to the north of downtown, leaving behind SR 1002.

1936 Shenandoah County
US 211 to central New Market
1936 Shenandoah County
1958 Shenandoah County
US 211 rerouted
1958 Shenandoah County


In Nov 1952 (CTB), US 211 was removed from the SR 766 loop through Hamburg west of Luray.
In March 1959 (CTB), US 211 was rebuilt on the west slope of Massanutten Mtn, leaving behind SR 674 and several abandoned alignments.
In 1960-61, US 29-211 and VA 309 swapped alignments to today's configuration. US 29-211 had used Lee Hwy all the way through here.

1949 Official
US 29-211 on Lee Hwy all the way
1949 Official
1961 Official
US 29-211 swap segments with VA 309
1961 Official


In Nov 1964 (CTB), US 211 west was extended over US 11 and duplexed with VA 260 out to I-81.
In March 1967 (CTB), US 211 was removed from SR 675 at Massies Corner.
In April 1970 (CTB), US 211 was removed from SR 678 loop east of Ben Venue and SR 679 loop east of Massies Corner.
In June 1971 (AASHO), US 211 was placed on its bypass of Washington, VA leaving behind US 211 Business.
In Oct 1971 (CTB), US 211 was removed from SR 683 east of Washington, VA.
In Jan 1972 (CTB), US 211 was given its bypass around Luray, leaving behind US 211 Business.
In July 1980 (CTB), US 211 east was truncated to its current end in Warrenton, leaving behind
US 29.
Improvements: US 211 was paved upon inception everywhere except from about Amissville to the Rappahannock River.
US 211 was fully paved in 1930.
The first multilaning of US 211 occurred between 1941-47, from Fairfax Circle west to the current 2-lane segment of US 29 approaching Manassas Battlefield.
In 1954, US 211 was multilaned from about VA 215 to US 15 NB.
In 1956, the 1954 widening was extended west to the east end of the Warrenton Bypass; also from about VA 55 to the east edge of Manassas Battlefield
In 1957, US 211 was multilaned from US 15 to VA 55.
In 1960 or 1961, US 211 was 4-laned from VA 120 to VA 124; also incorrectly shown to be 4-laned undivided through Manassas Battlefield (until 1975 issue on insets; 1981 on the main maps).
In 1962, US 211 was 4-laned from VA 120 west to VA 237 Falls Church.
In 1965, US 211 was widended west to the WCL of Falls Church.
In 1967, US 211 was 4-laned from Luray east to the bottom of Thorton Gap ascent.
In 1968, US 211 was 4-laned from east of Washington, VA to 3 miles west of Ben Venue.
In 1969, the widening in 1968 was extended east 5 miles.
In 1971, US 211 was 4-laned from SR 1002 New Market to the base of Massanutten Mtn; Washington VA Bypass
In 1972, US 211 was 4-laned on the Luray Bypass.
In 1975, US 211 was multilaned from SR 615 (now US 340) to Luray Bypass; Amissville to Warrenton; Fairfax Circle to Falls Church; incorrectly shown as 4-laned over Massanutten Mtn (until 1977 issue)
In 1977, US 211 was 4-laned for 3/4 mile centered around Skyline Drive
In 1979, US 211 was 4-laned from Ben Venue to Amissville.
In 1993 or 1994, US 211 was 4-laned from Washington VA west to nearly Sperryville.
US 211 is 3-lanes over both mountain crossings, so the only 2-lane segments left are I-81 to SR 1002 in New Market and also from Sperryville west to the mountain ascent heading for Thorton Gap.
Posted:  Fully posted; the last known cutouts on mainline US 211 were removed in the late 1990s.
For 20+ years now on I-81 SB the US/VA 211 shields have been pointing the wrong way; error VA 211 shield leaving US 17-29 Bus since mid-2009 and fixed by 2015; error VA 211 shield removed after 10+ years in 2004 leaving US 522 in Sperryville
Multiplexes:  US 11 (0.27 mi)
US 340 (7.60 mi)
US 522 (8.09 mi)
US 17 Bus, US 29 Bus (0.86 mi)
US 29 Bus (0.55 mi)
Legislative names:  Lee Highway on entire route except not the Bypasses (3-20-22 designation predates US 211)
Other names:  W Old Cross Rd/Congress St (New Market); Frost Ave/Broadview Ave (Warrenton)
Scenic Byway:  No segments
Comment: US 211 is one of the shortest US routes in the country.
US 211 did extend into Washington DC for a time in the 1930s-40s (photos and maps exist) but official documentation on when this was true has eluded me so far.
It is a little weird to have US 211 east end at its Business route instead of the US 15-17-29 Bypass.
The 1928-1929 Official Maps misidentify this as US 311 in the Washington/Alexandria inset.
View Froggie's westbound photo journey of US 211.
VDOT took a 1949 video of US 29-211 from the Key Bridge into Arlington. In addition to the US 29 cutout shown at right you can also see a smaller US 211 cutout nearby. Several vintage gas station signs are also visible.

1949 VDOT video
US 29 cutout leading to Lee Hwy from the Key Bridge
1949 VDOT

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Page last modified 4 January 2024