U.S. Route 11 Bypass (
US 11 Byp.) is a
bypass route around downtown
Cleveland, Tennessee, for
US 11. It is a four-lane
divided highway its entire length, and it is known as Keith Street. US 11 Byp. begins at an intersection with US 11/
US 64 (
State Route 2 [SR 2], South Lee Highway) in Cleveland near
Bradley Central High School. SR 2 turns north onto US 11 Byp. and runs as a
hidden route. US 11/US 64 turns northeast into downtown as 3rd Street. At its terminus, it begins following immediately along South Mouse Creek. About later, the bypass intersects
SR 312 (Harrison Pike/Inman Street), a connector to and formerly the route of US 64 about west of downtown. At this intersection, the
Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway also begins, following alongside Mouse Creek. The route continues north through a historic residential district. Further along, US 11 Byp. comes to an intersection with
SR 60 (25th Street). The route then enters a primarily commercial district, passing the corporate headquarters of
Life Care Centers of America, and turns northeast, crossing Mouse Creek and the greenway. The route crosses Mouse Creek ridge, passing through commercial area, coming to an intersection with Woodcrest Avenue/Ocoee Crossing, a connector to US 11 (Ocoee Street). About later, the bypass comes to an end at an intersection with US 11 (Ocoee Street).
History Built as a bypass to relieve downtown Cleveland from industrial and commercial traffic, Keith Street was the first bypass and four lane highway in
Bradley County. The project began in 1956, with construction of a two-lane road by the city of Cleveland between US 11/64 (South Lee Highway/Third Street) and 17th Street. The section between 17th Street and US 11 was constructed as a four-lane divided highway by the state, with the construction contract let on October 30, 1959. The section opened to traffic on December 2, 1960. The state then assumed control of the remainder of the route, which was widened to four lanes in the earlier 1960s. Initially known as the Cleveland Bypass, Keith Street was named in honor of prominent local resident Keith Hines. Originally, the route's state designation was SR 2 Byp., and SR 2 remained on the bypassed portion of US 11. In 1983, when the
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)
modified their highway numbering system, SR 2 was rerouted onto Keith Street. The section of US 11 between the southern terminus of Keith Street and the intersection with
US 64 became part of SR 40 (which continues on US 64 into
North Carolina, and the section between US 64 and Keith Street's northern terminus became part of
SR 74.
Major intersections ==Riceville–Athens business loop==