North Carolina Highway 11 (NC 11) is a primary

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Traveling in a north–south alignment through

Eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina (sometimes abbreviated as ENC) is the region encompassing the eastern tier of North Carolina. It is known geographically as the state's Coastal Plain region. Primary subregions of Eastern North Carolina include the Sandhil ...

, it connects the towns and cities of

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

, Kenansville, Kinston, Greenville and

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

Route description

NC 11 begins at US 74/ US 76 in the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Freeman. It travels north to NC 87 at Sandyfield before exiting

Columbus County Columbus County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina, on its southeastern border. Its county seat is Whiteville. The 2020 census showed a loss of 12.9% of the population from that of 2010. As of the 2020 census, the popula ...

. Soon entering

Bladen County Bladen County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

, it crosses the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

, then travels nearly to Long View, where it joins with NC 53 before crossing the Black River and into Pender County. Traveling in a northeasterly direction, NC 11/NC 53 turns east at

Atkinson Atkinson may refer to: Places *Atkinson, Nova Scotia, Canada * Atkinson, Dominica, a village in Dominica *Atkinson, Illinois, U.S. * Atkinson, Indiana, U.S. *Atkinson, Maine, U.S. *Atkinson Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. *Atkinson, Nebraska, U. ...

; at Wards Corner it changes its concurrency from NC 53, which continues to

Burgaw Burgaw is a town in, and the county seat of, Pender County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,872 at the 2010 census. Burgaw is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town most likely derives its nam ...

, to US 421 towards Clinton. After over , NC 11 splits from US 421 and continues northeast through Penderlea and Willard, where it then joins US 117 near exit 390 off

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

(I-40). Traveling northeast, it crosses over Rock Fish Creek into

Duplin County Duplin County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

...

. NC 11 splits towards the Tin City area of

, while US 117 continues towards the downtown area. Northeast of Wallace, NC 11 connects with I-40 (exit 385) and continues through Murphey, Greenevers and

Register Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), th ...

before reaching the NC 24/ NC 903 Kenansville Bypass (which can be used as a bypass for through traffic along NC 11). Continuing through Kenansville, it joins briefly with NC 50; north of town, it joins with NC 903 and continues northeast to Kornegay, where it switches concurrency with NC 111 for before continuing east into Lenoir County. At Pink Hill, NC 11 continues northeasterly and widens to a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

as it travels through Deep Run and Albrittons and Jacksons Crossroads, where it is joined by NC 55. At an area known as Skinner's By-Pass, NC 11/NC 55 enter Kinston's city limits and connects with US 70/ US 258. Crossing east over the

Neuse River The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in ...

and into downtown Kinston, NC 11/NC 55 connect with US 70 Bus./ US 258 Bus. along Queen Street. At a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

, NC 11/NC 55 returns to a northeasterly direction and through the Harverytown area of Kinston. Upon leaving Kinston's city limits, NC 55 splits and continues towards

New Bern New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

. Parallel to the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

rail line, since Graingers, NC 11 connects with NC 118, which connects to nearby Grifton, before crossing the Contentnea Creek and into Pitt County. In Pitt County, NC 11 is directed onto both its newer

bypass route A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety. A bypass spe ...

which is a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

controlled access highway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

bypassing most of Greenville, and its suburbs Ayden, Winterville, and other small communities. It also gives drivers on NC 11 access to I-587 and

US 264 U.S. Route 264 (US 264) is an east–west United States Highway located completely within the U.S. state of North Carolina, running for . Its western terminus is located at Interstate 87 (I-87), I-440, and US 64 in Raleigh. US&nbs ...

. And its mainline route, which on the other hand, is a rural partial controlled access highway bypassing the same surrounding towns, but it instead also serves as an arterial thoroughfare going through central Greenville. With the exception of a stretch between Kinston and Greenville, most of NC 11 is largely a disused rural route. All other major sections are cosigned with more major U.S. Highways, including a stretch of US 421 near the southern terminus and US 13 north of Greenville. As a through route, US 258 or US 13 travel along the same general directions, but appear to be better maintained and closer to major population centers. The central segment is mostly four lanes and divided, although not controlled access.

History

NC 11 was established in 1921 as an original state highway, traveling northeasterly from NC 40, in Kenansville, to NC 10, in Kinston; then continuing north, through Greenville, to NC 90, in Bethel. Around 1930, NC 11 was extended north on new primary routing to NC 125, in Oak City, via Hassell. In 1940, NC 11 was extended south from Kenansville to Tin City, replacing part of US 117; then with a short concurrency with US 117, it travels to the North Carolina Coastal Experimental Station (agriculture testing facility), replacing NC 401. In 1942, NC 11 was rerouted to a more direct route between Bethel and Oak City; its old alignment through Hassell was downgraded to secondary roads (today NC 42 and Hassell Road). By 1942, the first rerouting of NC 11 through Kinston took place; the original alignment was crossing over the Neuse River via Caswell Street, north on Queen Street, east on Vernon Avenue and northeast on Minerva Street. The realignment begins in Jacksons Store with concurrency with NC 55 going east along Tyree Road to US 258, from there continuing north into Kinston along Queen Street; the old alignment along Caswell Street is downgraded to secondary road. By 1948, NC 11/NC 55 was rerouted east onto King Street, north on East Street, east on Washington Avenue and then northeast on Minerva Street; the old alignment through central Kinston became NC 11A. In 1952, NC 11/NC 55 was rerouted onto its current routing from Jacksons Store north into Kinston, crossing the Neuse River on King Street; Tyree Road (SR 1341) was downgraded to secondary road while US 258 remained. By 1958, NC 11 was rerouted to its current alignment in Greenville along Memorial Drive; its old alignment along Dickinson Avenue to Greene Street was downgraded to secondary roads. By 1963, the spur to the North Carolina Coastal Experimental Station was downgraded to secondary road and NC 11 was truncated at US 117 near Wallace. In 1966, NC 11 was extended north on new primary routing, across the Roanoke River, to NC 308, in Lewiston. In 1967, its northern terminus was extended again to NC 305, in Connaritsa. In 1969, NC 11/NC 55 was rerouted to its current alignment along Tiffany Street (today Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard), with its old alignment along East Street and Washington Avenue downgraded to secondary roads. Near Grifton, NC 11 was placed on new western bypass, leaving behind Highland Boulevard/Avenue.

North Carolina Highway 401

North Carolina Highway 401 (NC 401) was established as a new primary spur of NC 40 to the North Carolina Coastal Plains Experiment Station (agriculture testing facility), south of Wallace. In 1940, NC 401 was replaced by an extension of NC 11, which was eventually downgraded to secondary road by 1963 (today Jonestown Road).

Major intersections

Special routes

Kenansville alternate spur

North Carolina Highway 11 Alternate (NC 11A) was a renumbering of part of US 117. It existed as a cutoff between NC 11 and NC 24. It was decommissioned by 1960, downgraded to Tyndall Street (SR 1383).

Kinston alternate route

North Carolina Highway 11 Alternate (NC 11A) was a renumbering of NC 11 through downtown Kinston, via Queen Street and Vernon Avenue. In 1960, it was renumbered to NC 11 Business.

Kinston business loop

North Carolina Highway 11 Business (NC 11 Bus) was a renumbering of NC 11A through downtown Kinston, via Queen Street and Vernon Avenue. In 1969, the route was downgraded to secondary roads.

Greenville bypass

North Carolina Highway 11 Bypass (NC 11 Byp.), was established in 2019 as a bypass route of NC 11. The bypass is a , four-lane freeway. Unlike the previous bypass projects where NC 11 would be rerouted onto a newly constructed bypass with the section going through the towns being designated as a

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...

, NC 11 actually bypasses Ayden and Winterville, but goes through Greenville. While the bypass route also bypasses Greenville. The bypass connects its parent route south of Ayden to the routes US 264,

US 13 U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to US 1 in the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville ...

, U.S. 264 Alt, and Interstate 587 in Greenville. The northern 5.3 section of the bypass overlaps with US 264 and was originally constructed for said route to also bypass Greenville. The southern section of the route is known as the Greenville Southwest Bypass which was completed the same year the route was established.

Bethel business loop

North Carolina Highway 11 Business (NC 11 Bus) was established in 2003 as a renumbering of mainline NC 11 through downtown Bethel, via Main Street. It shares a complete concurrency with US 13 Bus.

Aulander business loop

North Carolina Highway 11 Business (NC 11 Bus) was established in 1978 as a renumbering of mainline NC 11 through downtown Aulander, via Main Street.

References

External links