Interstate 11

Interstate 11
Purple Heart Highway
I-11 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NDOT
Length	53.9 mi[1] (86.7 km)
Existed	August 16, 2017[2]–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	US 93 at Arizona state line
Major intersections	US 95 / SR 173 in Boulder City I-215 / SR 564 in Henderson I-15 / US 93 in Las Vegas SR 613 in Las Vegas CC 215 in Las Vegas
North end	US 95 / SR 157 in Las Vegas
Location
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Counties	Clark
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Nevada State Highway System Interstate US State Pre‑1976 Scenic
← US 6 NV → I-15

Interstate 11 (I-11) is an Interstate Highway that currently runs for 53.9 miles (86.7 km) on a predominantly northwest–southeast alignment in the U.S. state of Nevada, running concurrently with either or both U.S. Route 93 (US 93) and U.S. Route 95 (US 95) from the Arizona state line and Boulder City. The freeway is tentatively planned to run from Nogales, Arizona, to the vicinity of Reno, Nevada, generally following the current routes of I-19, I-10, US 93, and US 95.^[3] Planners anticipate upgrading two existing highway segments to carry future I-11: US 93 in Arizona from Wickenburg to the Nevada state line on the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge over the Colorado River and US 95 in Nevada from the Las Vegas Valley to Tonopah. The most recent extension came in 2024, when officials replaced I-515 signs in Las Vegas with I-11 signs and added I-11 signs on US 95 north of Downtown Las Vegas, which extended I-11 northward about 30.5 miles (49.1 km).^[4] An extension of the Interstate northward along US 95 to Mercury, Nevada, is planned after that. An exact alignment for I-11 has yet to be determined outside of these sections; a number of corridor alternatives, however, have been identified for further study and refinement. The building of I-11 in Arizona is also facing local opposition from conservation groups.

As originally proposed in the 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, the highway would run only from Casa Grande, Arizona, to Las Vegas.^[5] This was to provide a Las Vegas–Phoenix freeway link. Extensions of the corridor to the north toward Reno and to the south toward Nogales, however, have since been approved by the 2015 Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act).

The numbering of this highway did not initially fit within the usual conventions of the existing Interstate Highway grid as the whole route was east of I-15. I-17 was already built to the east of the I-11 alignment in Arizona, making it impossible to fit this freeway's Interstate number into the national grid and remain within the traditional numbering convention. I-11 being extended along US 95 through Las Vegas and crossing over I-15 remedied this situation since it put a portion of I-11 west of I-15 and thus in line with the national grid numbering conventions.^[4]

The 80th session of the Nevada Legislature passed a bill designating the entire route of I-11 in the state as the Purple Heart Highway, which went into effect on July 1, 2019.^[6][7]