End of US highway 411

US 411 was commissioned in 1934. Beginning in Gadsden AL, it ran through northwest Georgia (as it does yet today), but its north end was "on hold" at the stateline for a few years (near the aptly-named community of Tennga), waiting for Tennessee to pick it up. They did so in 1939; extending the US 411 designation northward to Maryville TN (pronounced MARE-uh-vull). The photo below is looking northeast on US 411, about 4 miles southwest of Maryville:

me, Oct. 2000

411 now continues straight here, co-signed with US 129 into Maryville. But this used to be its north terminus. The perspective from the driver of the red pickup above is shown below:

me, Oct. 2000

This is from northbound US 129. It used to be that US 411 only went south (left) from here.

It was in 1951 that the US 411 designation was extended north (right) from that junction; from Newport it continued along modern US 321, to end at its junction with US 11E in Greeneville TN. At the time, there was no US 11 bypass - instead traffic was routed along what is signed as Business 11 today. That comes into town via Summer Street, and turns north on Main Street:

Nelson, July 2006

Today Main is US 321; to the right was once the north beginning of US 411.

In 1956 the US 411 designation reached its maximum northern extent: Bristol TN/VA (you can view photos from there on this page).

...because in 1967 the north end of US 411 was truncated back to Greenville, where it remained for another 20 years. For part of that time, US 411 may have ended at its former location (see above). But at some point the modern US 11 bypass was built (Andrew Johnson Highway), so then the US 411 designation would've been extended north on Main, to end at the new US 11. The photo below is looking south on US 11/US 321:

Nelson, July 2006

US 411 once began to the left, down Main via what is now Business 321.

US 411 was truncated again in 1987, this time to its current terminus at I-40's interchange 432, outside Newport TN. US 25W/US 70 pretty much parallels I-40 in this part of the state, so most maps aren't at a large enough scale to show whether US 411 ends at its junction with the US route or with the interstate. The photo below pretty much clears up that question:

me, Oct. 2000

That was northbound on 411, and the crossroad in the distance is US 25W/US 70. As you can see, the US 411 designation turns right there, to its junction with I-40. The photo below shows that interchange:

me, Oct. 2000

This is north US 411/east US 70/south US 25W. There was no "End" sign, but beyond this point, there are no more 411 signs (straight ahead about 3 miles is downtown Newport).

On westbound I-40, the green signs that direct traffic back this direction (away from Newport) mention only US 411; they don't indicate 25W/70 at all - perhaps because, since that road closely parallels I-40 for the next 10 miles or so, it's probably relatively low-usage:

Patriarca, summer 2003

There were no US 411 markers on the southbound segment that's co-signed with 25W/70 either; the first one is shown below, where 411 splits off from 25W/70:

me, Oct. 2000

Below is the signage for the north beginning of US 411 from eastbound I-40:

Patriarca, summer 2003

Originally the south end of US 411 was in Gadsden AL, on 3rd Street at Broad Street (which carried US 11 and US 241 at the time). The photo below is looking west on Broad:

Nelson, July 2006

Northbound US 11 came from the left and continued straight ahead. To the right on 3rd was the south beginning of US 411. If you turn that direction, you'll soon come to the modern functional equivalent of this historic junction, because today highway traffic is routed over a newer bridge along Meighan Boulevard, a couple blocks north of Broad.

My 1959 atlas shows the south end of US 411 had been extended to US 231 at Ashville AL. The photo below is looking southbound on US 231:

Nelson, Aug. 2005

The south beginning of US 411 used to be straight ahead. Below is a perspective from the former endpoint:

Nelson, Aug. 2005

US 411 used to end at the light ahead...

...but by 1960 it was extended to the left with US 231, and US 411 continued all the way to its current terminus at US 78 in Leeds AL. The photo below is looking south on Elliot Lane; US 411's interchange with I-20 is about 2 miles behind the camera. There was no "End" sign, but this is it - at the Bankhead Highway, which is known locally as Parkway Drive:

Wilson, Feb. 2002

Lucky that was shot before the trees leafed out - when Chris was there in June 2003, he couldn't see this sign at all! Matter of fact, overgrowth appears to be a widespread problem at this intersection, as evidenced in his shots below. This first one is approaching the south beginning of US 411 from westbound US 78:

Patriarca, June 2003

There's a pretty important sign between the two pickups in the center of the photo, but you can't see it behind the tree. Here it is up close:

Patriarca, June 2003

411's beginning from eastbound US 78 is also among the leaves:

Patriarca, June 2003