U.S. Route 11 in New York

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 11 in New York. For the entire length of the highway, see U.S. Route 11.

U.S. Route 11
Map of New York with US 11 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT and the cities of Binghamton, Cortland, Syracuse and Watertown
Length:	318.66 mi[2] (512.83 km)
Existed:	1926[1] – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 11 at Pennsylvania state line south of Binghamton
	I-81 to I-86 / NY 17 in Binghamton NY 13 / NY 41 in Cortland NY 5 in Syracuse NY 3 / NY 12 in Watertown NY 56 in Potsdam NY 30 in Malone I-87 near Champlain
North end:	Route 223 at Canadian border at Rouses Point
Location
Counties:	Broome, Cortland, Onondaga, Oswego, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced Numbered highways in New York Interstate • U.S. • N.Y. (former) • Reference • County ← NY 10 NY 11A →

U.S. Route 11 (US 11) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from New Orleans, Louisiana, to the Canadian border at Rouses Point, New York. In the state of New York, US 11 extends for 318.66 miles (512.83 km) from the Pennsylvania state line south of the Southern Tier city of Binghamton to the Canadian border at the North Country village of Rouses Point, where it becomes Route 223 upon entering Quebec. The portion of US 11 south of Watertown follows a mostly north–south alignment and is paralleled by Interstate 81 (I-81) while the part of the route north of Watertown follows a more east–west routing.

The portion of US 11 in New York passes through the central district of four cities: Binghamton, Cortland, Syracuse, and Watertown. East of Watertown, the route traverses mostly rural terrain and serves only small villages, such as Potsdam, Malone, and Champlain. While the portion of US 11 between the Pennsylvania state line and Watertown is merely an alternate route to I-81, the section east of Watertown is the primary long-distance route across the North Country of New York.

US 11 was designated as part of the 1926 establishment of the U.S. Highway System. It was first signed in New York in 1927, replacing New York State Route 2 (NY 2), a route assigned three years earlier as part of the creation of the modern New York state route system. The termini of US 11 have more or less remained the same since; however, multiple realignments have occurred along the points in between. One of US 11's three suffixed routes, NY 11C, follows a former routing of US 11.

Route description

Central New York

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 from Binghamton toward Syracuse, passing through Cortland in the process.

US 11 joins NY 13 and NY 41 as it passes through downtown Cortland.

The route traverses the Onondaga Indian Reservation just south of the city—where it intersects US 20 in LaFayette—before entering the suburbs of Syracuse. US 11 continues northward, passing through downtown and crossing I-81, I-690 and the New York State Thruway (I-90) before meeting I-81 at exit 26 north of downtown and west of the Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

Syracuse to Watertown

North of Syracuse, US 11 and I-81 continue to parallel each other northward through Central New York and, from Pulaski. In Watertown, US 11 and I-81 separate just south of the city, with US 11 taking a more north-easterly routing than I-81, which continues to parallel Lake Ontario northward to the Canadian border.

North Country

US 11 heads northeast from Watertown, passing north of Adirondack Park and serving several communities—such as the villages of Canton, Malone, and Potsdam—built up along its northern edge. Although the road never crosses the Blue Line delimiting Adirondack Park, it passes through mostly rural, undeveloped areas nonetheless.

Just outside of Watertown, the route runs along the northern edge of the Fort Drum Military Reservation and connects to the base's main gate. The junction between US 11 and Memorial Drive, the road leading to the gate, will be replaced with an interchange as part of the construction of I-781. Past Fort Drum, the route follows a northeasterly routing across northern Jefferson County and southwestern St. Lawrence County, serving the villages of Philadelphia and Gouverneur and overlapping with NY 26 and NY 812 for significant stretches. US 11 eventually reaches the village of Canton, where it takes on a slightly more easterly alignment as it intersects NY 68.

At the next village, Potsdam, NY 11B breaks from US 11, serving as a southerly alternate route to the U.S. Highway. NY 11B heads due east from Potsdam; however, US 11 exits to the northeast, passing through parts of the towns of Potsdam and Stockholm. About 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Potsdam, US 11 intersects the west end of NY 11C, the northernmost of its three alternate routes in New York. While NY 11C heads to the northeast to serve the hamlets of Brasher Falls and Winthrop, US 11 turns to the east, bypassing both locations to the south. NY 11C rejoins US 11 8 miles (13 km) later in the town of Lawrence, while NY 11B reconnects to its parent in Malone, located in north-central Franklin County.

East of Malone, US 11 takes on a more northerly heading for roughly 15 miles (24 km), passing through Chateaugay and intersecting NY 374 in the community's center. Eventually, it curves back to the southeast, serving Ellenburg and NY 190 before resuming a northeasterly alignment that takes the route through Mooers and into the village of Champlain. In the latter, US 11 connects to I-87 at exit 42 and meets US 9 at a junction a half-mile to the east of I-87. The route continues on, following a mostly linear east–west alignment across the town of Champlain for 4 miles (6 km) to the shores of Lake Champlain and the village of Rouses Point. Along the way, US 11 connects to the west end of NY 276.

In Rouses Point, US 11 becomes known as Champlain Street as it heads toward the lake shore. At the shoreline, Champlain Street ends as US 11 intersects NY 9B (Lake Street). US 11 turns north onto Lake Street at the junction, following the routing established by NY 9B to the south into the heart of Rouses Point. Here, US 11 reconnects to NY 276, which enters from the west on Pratt Street. North of the village center, US 11 intersects the western terminus of the eastern segment of US 2. After another three-quarters of a mile, US 11 terminates at the Canada – United States border, where it connects to Quebec Route 223.

History

Origins

Most of the modern US 11 corridor between Cortland and Rouses Point was assigned an unsigned legislative route designation when the New York State Legislature created a statewide legislative route system in 1908. From Cortland north to Syracuse, what is now US 11 was part of Route 10, which continued southeast from Cortland to Afton. Between Syracuse and Colosse, it was designated as Route 33. At Colosse, Route 28 joined current US 11 and followed it to Maple View, where it ended at Route 30 (now NY 104). Route 30 joined modern US 11 here and generally followed it through Watertown to Rouses Point. The most significant deviation from what is now US 11 was between Potsdam and Lawrenceville, where Route 30 used modern NY 11B and County Routes 54 and 55 (former NY 195) instead.^[3][4]

Other, shorter sections of US 11 were included as part of legislative routes that mostly followed another corridor across the state. From Binghamton east to Kirkwood Center, modern US 11 was part of Route 4, an east–west route that extended across the Southern Tier and the Catskill Mountains from Lake Erie to the Hudson River. The segment of current US 11 from Binghamton north to Hinmans Corners was the southernmost portion of Route 8, which went northeast to the Utica area on modern NY 12 and NY 12B.^[3][4] In 1911, much of current US 11 between Cortland and Whitney Point was designated as part of Route 4-a, a new route that extended southeast to Chenango Forks and south from there to Binghamton.^[4] On March 1, 1921, the portion of Route 4-a northwest of Chenango Forks became part of Route 10, which now split into east and west branches east of Cortland as a result.^[5]

Designation and realignments

In 1924, the state of New York created the modern New York state route system by assigning designations to several long-distance highways. One route assigned at this time was NY 2, which extended from the Pennsylvania state line south of Binghamton to the Canadian border at Rouses Point by way of Syracuse and Watertown.^[6] When the Joint Board on Interstate Highways laid out the initial plans for the U.S. Highway System in October 1925, NY 2 was included as part of US 11, a route beginning in New Orleans, Louisiana, and ending at Rouses Point.^[7] The alignment of US 11 within New York was virtually unchanged in the final system alignment approved on November 11, 1926.^[1] The US 11 designation was first signed in 1927, supplanting NY 2.^[8]

Since 1927, the termini of US 11 have more or less remained the same. However, multiple realignments have occurred over the years along the points in between. In De Kalb, US 11 originally followed Old Northerner Road, modern NY 812, and County Route 17.^[9] It was moved onto its current alignment in the area ca. 1936.^[10][11] In the vicinity of Champlain, US 11 initially entered the village on Perry Mills Road and followed Main and Elm Streets through the village.^[9] Ca. 1962, US 11 was realigned to follow a direct east–west highway between the hamlet of Twin Bridges (the modern junction of US 11 and Perry Mills Road) and the village of Champlain. Within Champlain, US 11 was routed on South, Main, and Elm Streets.^[12][13] The highway was realigned again in the early 1970s to follow a new highway to the south of Champlain, bypassing the village completely.^[14][15]

In northeastern St. Lawrence County, US 11 originally served the neighboring hamlets of Brasher Falls and Winthrop. The route left its modern alignment in Stockholm (at Stockholm Center) and rejoined it in Lawrence (at Coteys Corner).^[9] On September 1, 1982, ownership and maintenance of County Route 110, a county road extending from Stockholm Center to Coteys Corner on a direct east–west routing, was transferred from St. Lawrence County to the state of New York as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government and the village of Canton.^[16][17][18] The new state highway was initially designated as NY 11C.^[19] On June 13, 1992, the alignments of US 11 and NY 11C between Stockholm Center and Coteys Corner were swapped, placing both routes on their modern alignments.^[20][21]

Future

Plans for the Rooftop Highway, a proposed limited-access highway that would extend for 175 miles (282 km) from Watertown to Champlain, first surfaced in the 1950s. If built, the highway would likely follow the US 11 corridor across the northern part of North Country, connecting I-81 to I-87. The project is expected to create more than 27,000 jobs throughout the North Country and is expected to take as many as 15 years to complete.

A study called the North Country Transportation Study Action Plan and Final Technical Report suggests that the road would likely be built to Interstate Highway standards in order to improve constrained transit systems due to a lack of infrastructure throughout the area. Backers of the project have called for the highway to be designated as I-98;^[22] however, this designation has not been recognized by any government agencies, such as NYSDOT or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The Northern Corridor Transportation Group (NCTG) was formed in December 2008 as a means of refocusing the fifty-year discussion on the project. Since that time, more than 100 municipal and civic resolutions from the five northern counties of New York have been passed in support of the construction of the project. On July 16, 2009, the NCTG submitted a request to U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to direct $800 million toward the project as part of the reauthorization of a federal highway transportation bill. In a historic move, the six northern legislators representing the North Country in the New York State Legislature (Senators Aubertine, Griffo and Little and Assembly Members Scozzafava, Russell and Duprey) signed an official letter of request to the same end.

Suffixed routes

US 11 has three suffixed routes, all of which serve as alternate routes to US 11. NY 11A and NY 11B were assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York,^[23][24] while NY 11C was assigned in 1982.^[16][19]

• NY 11A (13.11 miles or 21.10 kilometres) runs to the west of US 11 between Tully and Onondaga. It serves as the primary north–south highway through the Onondaga Indian Reservation.^[2]
• NY 11B (36.98 miles or 59.51 kilometres) extends from Potsdam to Malone along a routing situated south of US 11.^[2]
• NY 11C (11.44 miles or 18.41 kilometres) is a northerly alternate to US 11 between Stockholm and Lawrence. While US 11 follows a direct routing through the two towns, NY 11C veers north to serve Brasher Falls and Winthrop, two small hamlets on the banks of the St. Regis River.^[2]

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile[2]	Destinations	Notes
Broome	Kirkwood	0.00	US 11	Continuation into Pennsylvania
		7.48	I-81 / I-86 east / NY 17	Exit 2 (I-81); southbound US 11 only
	City of Binghamton	11.73	NY 7
			NY 363	Interchange
		12.59	NY 434	Eastern terminus of NY 434
		12.83	NY 17C	Eastern terminus of NY 17C
	Dickinson	14.73	I-81	Exit 5 (I-81)
	Chenango	17.37	I-81 south	Exit 6 (I-81)
		17.49	NY 12	Southern terminus of NY 12
		17.72	I-81 north	Exit 6 (I-81)
		22.90	I-81	Exit 7 (I-81)
	Whitney Point	30.46	NY 26 south	Southern terminus of US 11 / NY 26 overlap
		30.55	NY 26 north / NY 79 east	Northern terminus of US 11 / NY 26 overlap; southern terminus of US 11 / NY 79 overlap
	Town of Lisle	31.48	I-81 north	Exit 8 (I-81)
		32.76	NY 79 west	Northern terminus of US 11 / NY 79 overlap
Cortland	Village of Marathon	39.59	NY 221
	Virgil	43.69	NY 392	Eastern terminus of NY 392
	Cortlandville	51.29	I-81 south	Exit 10 (I-81)
		51.51	NY 41 south	Southern terminus of US 11 / NY 41 overlap
	Cortland	53.84	NY 13 south	Southern terminus of US 11 / NY 13 overlap
		54.15	NY 13 north / NY 222	Northern terminus of US 11 / NY 13 overlap; eastern terminus of NY 222
	Cortlandville	56.17	I-81 via NY 930Q	Exit 12 (I-81)
	Village of Homer	56.78	NY 90	Southern terminus of NY 90
		57.07	NY 41 north	Northern terminus of US 11 / NY 41 overlap
Onondaga	Village of Tully	68.76	NY 80 east	Eastern terminus of US 11 / NY 80 overlap
	Town of Tully	69.41	NY 80 west / NY 281	Western terminus of US 11 / NY 80 overlap; northern terminus of NY 281
		70.04	I-81 north	Exit 14 (I-81)
	LaFayette	76.09	US 20
	Onondaga	81.14	I-81	Exit 16 (I-81)
		81.97	NY 11A	Northern terminus of NY 11A
	Syracuse	84.06	NY 173
		85.17	I-81	Exit 17 (I-81)
		86.18	NY 175	Eastern terminus of NY 175
		87.51	NY 92	Western terminus of NY 92
		87.70	NY 5
		87.89	NY 290	Western terminus of NY 290
		89.01	NY 298
		89.45	NY 370	Eastern terminus of NY 370
	Salina	92.53	I-81	Exit 26 (I-81)
	North Syracuse	95.30	NY 481	Exit 10 (NY 481)
	Cicero	97.27	NY 31
Oswego	Central Square	105.18	NY 49
	Hastings	112.21	NY 69A	Southern terminus of NY 69A
	Town of Mexico	114.48	NY 69
		117.13	NY 104
	Pulaski	124.47	NY 13
Jefferson	Town of Ellisburg	133.46	I-81	Exit 38 (I-81)
		137.25	NY 193	Eastern terminus of NY 193
	Village of Adams	142.86	NY 178	Eastern terminus of NY 178
	Town of Adams	146.54	NY 177
		148.57	I-81 via NY 971P	Exit 43 (I-81)
	Town of Watertown	152.83	NY 232	Northern terminus of NY 232
	City of Watertown	156.42	NY 3 south / NY 12	Northbound intersection; western terminus of US 11 north / NY 3 east and US 11 north / NY 12 south overlaps
		156.53	NY 3 east / NY 12 south / NY 283	Northbound intersection; eastern terminus of US 11 north / NY 3 east and US 11 north / NY 12 south overlaps; southern terminus of US 11 north / NY 12 north overlap; western terminus of NY 283
			NY 12F	Southbound intersection; eastern terminus of NY 12F
		156.88	NY 12 north	Northbound intersection; northern terminus of US 11 north / NY 12 north overlap
	Pamelia	158.48	NY 37	Western terminus of NY 37
	Le Ray	162.35	NY 342
		163.79	Memorial Drive (NY 971Q)	Access to Fort Drum; future site of interchange with I-781
		166.79	NY 26 south	Southern terminus of US 11 / NY 26 overlap
	Village of Philadelphia	173.84	NY 26 north	Northern terminus of US 11 / NY 26 overlap
St. Lawrence	Village of Gouverneur	191.59	NY 58 / NY 812 south	Southern terminus of US 11 / NY 812 overlap
	De Kalb	203.02	NY 812 north	Northern terminus of US 11 / NY 812 overlap
	Village of Canton	215.43	NY 68 west	Western terminus of US 11 / NY 68 overlap
	Town of Canton	216.82	NY 68 east / NY 310	Eastern terminus of US 11 / NY 68 overlap; southern terminus of NY 310
	Village of Potsdam	226.09	NY 345	Southern terminus of NY 345
		226.64	NY 56 north	Northern terminus of US 11 / NY 56 overlap
		226.81	NY 56 south	Southern terminus of US 11 / NY 56 overlap
		227.07	NY 11B	Western terminus of NY 11B
	Stockholm	237.00	NY 11C	Western terminus of NY 11C
		239.75	NY 420	Southern terminus of NY 420
	Lawrence	245.00	NY 11C	Eastern terminus of NY 11C
		246.19	CR 54	Former northern terminus of NY 195
Franklin	Moira	251.75	NY 95	Southern terminus of NY 95
	Village of Malone	264.61	NY 11B / NY 30 south / NY 37	Western terminus of US 11 / NY 30 overlap; eastern terminus of NY 11B; eastern terminus of NY 37
		265.02	NY 30 north	Eastern terminus of US 11 / NY 30 overlap
	Burke	271.98	NY 122	Eastern terminus of NY 122
	Village of Chateaugay	278.05	NY 374
Clinton	Clinton	286.10	NY 189	Southern terminus of NY 189
	Ellenburg	290.79	NY 190 via NY 971L
	Town of Mooers	305.46	NY 22	Northern terminus of NY 22
	Town of Champlain	311.95	I-87	Exit 42 (I-87)
		312.53	US 9
		314.10	NY 276	Western terminus of NY 276
	Rouses Point	316.70	NY 9B	Northern terminus of NY 9B
		317.55	NY 276	Eastern terminus of NY 276
		317.88	US 2	Western terminus of US 2 (eastern segment)
		318.66	Route 223	Continuation into Quebec
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

New York Roads portal

• New York State Bicycle Route 11, a pair of state bicycle routes that follow the southernmost and northernmost sections of US 11 in New York

References

1. ^ ^{a b} United States Department of Agriculture (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways (Map). 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. pp. 114–119. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT_Traffic_Data_Report_2008.pdf. Retrieved October 15, 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b} State of New York Department of Highways (1909). The Highway Law. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company. pp. 54–55, 57–58, 63–64. http://books.google.com/books?id=jZ0AAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA54. Retrieved June 6, 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} New York State Department of Highways (1920). Report of the State Commissioner of Highways. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company. pp. 502–505, 516, 519, 541–544, 547. http://books.google.com/books?id=Sj4CAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA502. Retrieved June 6, 2010. 
5. ^ New York State Legislature (1921). "Tables of Laws and Codes Amended or Repealed". Laws of the State of New York passed at the One Hundred and Forty-Fourth Session of the Legislature. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company. pp. 42, 48, 52–54. http://books.google.com/books?id=6pE4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA42. Retrieved June 6, 2010. 
6. ^ "New York's Main Highways Designated by Numbers". The New York Times: p. XX9. December 21, 1924. 
7. ^ Weingroff, Richard (January 9, 2009). "U.S. 11 – Rouses Point, New York, to New Orleans, Louisiana". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us11.cfm. Retrieved October 15, 2009. 
8. ^ Automobile Blue Book. 1 (1927 ed.). Chicago: Automobile Blue Book, Inc. 1927.  This edition shows U.S. Routes as they were first officially signed in 1927.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Standard Oil Company of New York (1930). Road Map of New York (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. 
10. ^ Sun Oil Company (1935). Road Map & Historical Guide – New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. 
11. ^ Standard Oil Company (1936). New York (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. 
12. ^ Sunoco (1961). New York and Metropolitan New York (Map). Cartography by H.M. Gousha Company (1961–62 ed.). 
13. ^ Esso (1962). New York with Sight-Seeing Guide (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. 
14. ^ New York State Thruway Authority (1971). New York Thruway (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. 
15. ^ Shell Oil Company (1973). New York (Map). Cartography by H.M. Gousha Company (1973 ed.). 
16. ^ ^{a b} New York State Legislature. "New York State Highway Law § 341". http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMMONQUERY=LAWS. Retrieved October 16, 2009. 
17. ^ New York State Department of Transportation (1969). North Lawrence Digital Raster Quadrangle (Map). 1:24,000. http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/gisdata/quads/drg24/dotpreview/index.cfm?code=b41. Retrieved October 16, 2009. 
18. ^ New York State Department of Transportation (1969). Brasher Falls Digital Raster Quadrangle (Map). 1:24,000. http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/gisdata/quads/drg24/dotpreview/index.cfm?code=b40. Retrieved October 16, 2009. 
19. ^ ^{a b} Rand McNally and Company (1985). New York (Map). ISBN 0-528-91040-X. 
20. ^ American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (June 15, 1992). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Executive Committee". p. 6. http://cms.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/1992-USRN_Cmte.PDF. Retrieved October 16, 2009. 
21. ^ Rand McNally and Company (1995). New York (Map). ISBN 0-528-96764-9. 
22. ^ "It's now I-98, not Rooftop Highway". Adirondack Daily Enterprise (Saranac Lake, New York). August 1, 2009. http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/507858.html. Retrieved February 2, 2011. 
23. ^ Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book, 1930–31 and 1931–32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930–31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering
24. ^ Dickinson, Leon A. (January 12, 1930). "New Signs for State Highways". The New York Times: p. 136. 

External links

• Alps' Roads – U.S. Route 11
• New York Routes – U.S. Route 11
• New York State Highway Termini – U.S. Route 11
• North Country Transportation Study
• Northern Tier Expressway Corridor Study

U.S. Route 11
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