U.S. Route 311

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U.S. Route 311

Length:

78 mi (126 km)

South end:

BUS US 220 at Randleman, NC

Major
junctions:

US 220 at Randleman, NC

I-85 in Archdale, NC

Business 85 in High Point, NC

I-40 in Winston-Salem, NC

US 52 in Winston-Salem, NC

US 220 in Madison, NC

NC 87 in Eden, NC

North end:

NC 14 in Eden, NC

United States Numbered Highways
U.S. Routes - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Highway 311 is a United States highway that runs for 78 miles (126 km) entirely within the state of North Carolina. On its route from Eden, North Carolina to Randleman, North Carolina it passes through the city of Winston-Salem and High Point. Originally a spur route from U.S. Highway 11 starting in Roanoke, Virginia and ending at Rowland, North Carolina, much of the route was taken over in 1934 by U.S. Highway 220. Now mostly serving as an alternate routing of US 220, this highway mainly connects Rockingham County with Forsyth, Guilford, and Randolph Counties. This makes the route technically in violation of AASHTO U.S. highway standards which prefers all U.S. routes to be at least 200 miles long and exist in more than one state. This would make U.S. 311 a prime candidate for decommissioning, however NCDOT recently received permission to extend the route's designation northward from U.S. 220 near Madison to Eden, though this part of the route still has not received U.S. 311 signs as of February 2007.

Along its present alignment, U.S. 311 shares pavement with U.S. Highway 52 and Interstate 40 in Forsyth County. It is also a freeway from I-40 at Exit 196 to Business 85 near High Point. Part of this freeway is a U.S. 311 Bypass around High Point which is still being constructed. So far, the segment from N. Main Street to Business 85 is the only section open to traffic. When this segment was completed in 2004 the old U.S. 311 route through downtown was signed as Business 311. The remaining segment is to be built starting in May 2007 and will take the route to Interstate 85. Currently from the end of the Bypass, U.S. 311 runs south along Business 85 until meeting Business 311 along South Main Street. U.S. 311 then travels east along South Main Street through southern High Point and on Main Street in the Randolph County town of Archdale finally terminating in Randleman at an interchange with U.S. 220 (Future Interstate 73/74). The entire segment from I-40 east to U.S. 220 is part of the future Interstate 74 corridor. U.S. 311 will be routed with I-74 on a new freeway between I-85 and U.S. 220 which is to be constructed starting in 2007.