US 211 initial routing: New Market to Alexandria
1926 Official

US 211 extended to DC 1929 Official

US 211 bypasses Fairfax 1933 Official

About 1937, US 211 was placed on a bypass around the north side of Warrenton, leaving behind US 211 ALT (now mostly US 211 Bus plus Old Alexandria Pike).
In Dec 1947 (CTB), US 29-211 was removed from the SR 674/693 loop at New Baltimore.
In Feb 1951 (CTB), US 211 was given its current New Market routing to the north of downtown, leaving behind SR 1002.

US 211 to central New Market 1936 Shenandoah County

US 211 rerouted 1958 Shenandoah County

In Nov 1952 (CTB), US 211 was removed from the SR 766 loop through Hamburg west of Luray.
In March 1959 (CTB), US 211 was rebuilt on the west slope of Massanutten Mtn, leaving behind SR 674 and several abandoned alignments.
In 1960-61, US 29-211 and VA 309 swapped alignments to today's configuration. US 29-211 had used Lee Hwy all the way through here.

US 29-211 on Lee Hwy all the way 1949 Official

US 29-211 swap segments with VA 309 1961 Official

In Nov 1964 (CTB), US 211 west was extended over US 11 and duplexed with VA 260 out to I-81.
In March 1967 (CTB), US 211 was removed from SR 675 at Massies Corner.
In April 1970 (CTB), US 211 was removed from SR 678 loop east of Ben Venue and SR 679 loop east of Massies Corner.
In June 1971 (AASHO), US 211 was placed on its bypass of Washington, VA leaving behind US 211 Business.
In Oct 1971 (CTB), US 211 was removed from SR 683 east of Washington, VA.
In Jan 1972 (CTB), US 211 was given its bypass around Luray, leaving behind US 211 Business.
In July 1980 (CTB), US 211 east was truncated to its current end in Warrenton, leaving behind US 29.
Improvements: US 211 was paved upon inception everywhere except from about Amissville to the Rappahannock River.
US 211 was fully paved in 1930.
The first multilaning of US 211 occurred between 1941-47, from Fairfax Circle west to the current 2-lane segment of US 29 approaching Manassas Battlefield.
In 1954, US 211 was multilaned from about VA 215 to US 15 NB.
In 1956, the 1954 widening was extended west to the east end of the Warrenton Bypass; also from about VA 55 to the east edge of Manassas Battlefield
In 1957, US 211 was multilaned from US 15 to VA 55.
In 1960 or 1961, US 211 was 4-laned from VA 120 to VA 124; also incorrectly shown to be 4-laned undivided through Manassas Battlefield (until 1975 issue on insets; 1981 on the main maps).
In 1962, US 211 was 4-laned from VA 120 west to VA 237 Falls Church.
In 1965, US 211 was widended west to the WCL of Falls Church.
In 1967, US 211 was 4-laned from Luray east to the bottom of Thorton Gap ascent.
In 1968, US 211 was 4-laned from east of Washington, VA to 3 miles west of Ben Venue.
In 1969, the widening in 1968 was extended east 5 miles.
In 1971, US 211 was 4-laned from SR 1002 New Market to the base of Massanutten Mtn; Washington VA Bypass
In 1972, US 211 was 4-laned on the Luray Bypass.
In 1975, US 211 was multilaned from SR 615 (now US 340) to Luray Bypass; Amissville to Warrenton; Fairfax Circle to Falls Church; incorrectly shown as 4-laned over Massanutten Mtn (until 1977 issue)
In 1977, US 211 was 4-laned for 3/4 mile centered around Skyline Drive
In 1979, US 211 was 4-laned from Ben Venue to Amissville.
In 1993 or 1994, US 211 was 4-laned from Washington VA west to nearly Sperryville.
US 211 is 3-lanes over both mountain crossings, so the only 2-lane segments left are I-81 to SR 1002 in New Market and also from Sperryville west to the mountain ascent heading for Thorton Gap.
Posted:  Fully posted; the last known cutouts on mainline US 211 were removed in the late 1990s.
For 20+ years now on I-81 SB the US/VA 211 shields have been pointing the wrong way; error VA 211 shield leaving US 17-29 Bus since mid-2009 and fixed by 2015; error VA 211 shield removed after 10+ years in 2004 leaving US 522 in Sperryville
Multiplexes:  US 11 (0.27 mi)
US 340 (7.60 mi)
US 522 (8.09 mi)
US 17 Bus, US 29 Bus (0.86 mi)
US 29 Bus (0.55 mi)
Legislative names:  Lee Highway on entire route except not the Bypasses (3-20-22 designation predates US 211)
Other names:  W Old Cross Rd/Congress St (New Market); Frost Ave/Broadview Ave (Warrenton)
Scenic Byway:  No segments
Comment: US 211 is one of the shortest US routes in the country.
US 211 did extend into Washington DC for a time in the 1930s-40s (photos and maps exist) but official documentation on when this was true has eluded me so far.
It is a little weird to have US 211 east end at its Business route instead of the US 15-17-29 Bypass.
The 1928-1929 Official Maps misidentify this as US 311 in the Washington/Alexandria inset.
View Froggie's westbound photo journey of US 211.
VDOT took a 1949 video of US 29-211 from the Key Bridge into Arlington. In addition to the US 29 cutout shown at right you can also see a smaller US 211 cutout nearby. Several vintage gas station signs are also visible.