Virginia Roads - US 211/US 340

US 211, US 211/340



US 211 does not begin here, but VA 211 does. VA 211 is the westward extension of US 211, which historically ended at US 11 in New Market (which makes sense) and was later extended to I-81 when the Interstate was built. Even though US 211 now multiplexes with its parent, originally it came straight into town from the east on Old Cross Rd., which is where it still leaves to the west. Therefore, despite the distance between intersections, there was never a gap between US 211 and VA 211. Photo courtesy Lou Corsaro.


And here is that incestuous concurrency with New Market's small shields and iconic yellow pole.


US 211 EB with US 340 NB. Something about Skyline Drive on a separate sign got to me to make me take the first photo, and the clouds in the second photo are something we non-mountain folk don't see every day. I wonder just how many Lee Highways there are - and I'm sure they're all south of the Mason-Dixon line.


EB/NB approaching Luray, with a sign every bit as old as the Luray bypass. Sadly, in my quest to follow US 340, I failed to follow the Business routes into Luray, where I have since learned there were cutout shields awaiting. Maybe I will have to return.


US 211 WB, US 522 SB, and a shameless plug for tourism. Hey, we're really not inferior to that other Washington, the one everyone thinks is in our state and where half of our people live in its metro area and where all of our Washington signs point northeast instead of here.


US 211 leaves Business US 29 and Business US 17 in Warrenton. I'm willing to count all of the state route shields as a group error, but then add the narrow banners and lack of "Business" banner over US 17. Subtract the cool small shields at the divergence point, and we're a new contractor away from calling it even.


The EB signs at the junction are mostly correct, with a bonus by the first assembly being old, but negated by a singularly ugly state-name Interstate shield. Proportion is thrown off by the horizontal white bar being too high, and then the ridiculous "TO" sign makes it look freakish. US 211 is an odd beast, since from here it's multiplexed with two Business routes, while its Business route ends up on a separate one of its own (Business US 15). They meet again on the northeast side of Warrenton, and US 211 and Business 211 both end at each other, neither one its own route. I have such an easy solution to this: Continue US 211 straight and end it at Business 15 - it may be bannered, but it's still a US Highway. If that's not allowable, end it here and just call the road ahead anything else. No one's following it by number.


US 211 begins along Business US 29, technically right where Business US 211 breaks off with Business US 15, but signed as if it's several hundred feet later. Once again, US 17 is still signed without a Business banner, but now I can let you in on a secret - this was regular US 17 far more recently than US 15 or 29 ever hit a traffic light, so any assembly more than a few years old can hide behind that excuse.

Onto US 340 alone
Onto Business US 211, Warrenton

Onto VA 42
Onto US 11
To I-81
Onto Skyline Drive
Onto Business US 17
Onto regular US 17
Onto Business US 29
To I-66
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