U.S. Route 78

U.S. Route 78
U.S. Route 78
	US 78 highlighted in red
Route information
Length	843.6 mi[citation needed](1,357.6 km)
Existed	1926[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
West end	I-57/US 67/AR 226nearSwifton, AR
	I-555atJonesboro, AR; I-55atBlytheville, AR; I-40atWest Memphis, AR; I-55/I-69/I-240atMemphis, TN; I-22fromByhalia, MStoGraysville, AL; I-20at various locations; I-59/I-65atBirmingham, AL; I-75/I-85atAtlanta, GA; I-95atSt. George, SC; I-26atNorth Charleston, SC;
East end	Line Street atCharleston, SC
Location
Country	United States
States	Arkansas,Tennessee,Mississippi,Alabama,Georgia,South Carolina
Highway system
	United States Numbered Highway System; List; Special; Divided;
	Mississippi State Highway System; Interstate; US; State;

U.S. Route 78(US 78) is an east–westUnited States Numbered Highwaythat runs for 843.6 miles (1,357.6 km) fromSwifton, Arkansas,toCharleston, South Carolina.FromByhalia, MississippitoGraysville, Alabama,US 78runs concurrentlywithInterstate 22(I-22). The highway’s western terminus is atI-57/US 67near Swifton, and its eastern terminus is on Line Street, in Charleston. Prior to November 2023, before the western extension, the highway's former western terminus was atUS 64/US 70/US 79(Second Street) inMemphis, Tennessee.

Route description

Lengths
	mi	km
AR	140.8	226.6
TN	15.9	25.6
MS	117.4	188.9
AL	194.0	312.2
GA	233.3	375.5
SC	142.2	228.8
Total	843.6	1,357.6

Arkansas

US 78 begins at interchange withI-57/US 67at exit 102 where the roadway continues asAR 226west towardSwifton.The route goes through towns ofCash,Jonesboro,Lake City,Black Oak,Monette,Manila,Blytheville,Marion,andWest Memphisbefore crossing on theMemphis & Arkansas Bridgeover theMississippi Riverto enterTennesseeinMemphis.

Tennessee

KML file(edit•help)

Template:Attached KML/U.S. Route 78 in Tennessee

KML is not from Wikidata

Map showing the former west end of US 78 in downtown Memphis before the extension to Northeast Arkansas in November 2023

US 78 entersTennesseealongInterstate 55(I-55) fromArkansasand shortly after diverges from I-55 onto E.H. Crump Boulevard. It is concurrent withUS 61,US 64,US 70,US 79andTennessee State Route 1(SR 1) until Third Street/B.B. King Boulevard. US 61 turns south ontoSR 14south (Third Street) while US 64, US 70, and US 79 turns north ontoSR 4west and SR 14 north (B.B. King Boulevard) at this intersection. This is also where SR 4 becomes concurrent with US 78 for the remainder of its length. About a1⁄4mile (0.40 km) later, SR 1 turns north onto (Danny Thomas Boulevard). US 78 and SR 4 then continues along E.H. Crump Boulevard to meet two interchanges withI-240(the first interchange of I-240 is concurrent withI-69). Around I-240, the road changes names to Lamar Avenue and then it meetsUS 51andSR 3before continuing southeastwardly to theMississippistate line.^[1]

In Memphis, US 78 is historically known as Pigeon Roost Road, and some aborted sections of the highway in Mississippi also claim that name as well as Lamar Avenue.

Mississippi

US 78 is afreewayfor its entire length in Mississippi. The section from its intersection withInterstate 269inByhalia, Mississippito the Alabama state line is concurrent withInterstate 22.The highway runs across the northeastern rural part of the state, connecting several population centers. Mississippi's portion of US 78 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3. The old routing of US 78 through the state is signed asMS 178.

Alabama

US 78 is a major east–west U.S. highway across the central part ofAlabama.It is internally designatedState Route 4(SR 4) by theAlabama Department of Transportation,though the only section of State Route 4 that is signed is along portions mainly west of Jasper. The section from the Mississippi state line to nearGraysvilleis concurrent withInterstate 22;from Graysville south toBirmingham,US 78 takes its original routing. East of Birmingham to the Georgia state line, US 78 has been replaced as a major through-route byInterstate 20.The two routes roughly parallel each other, with junctions atLeedsandPell City.^[2]

West of Jasper, old US 78 is signed as AL 118 to Guin, and the segment from Guin northward to I-22 at Hamilton is signed as US 43/US 278.

Georgia

US 78 enters Georgia inHaralson County,passing through the downtowns ofTallapoosaandBremen.It then proceeds throughCarroll CountyandDouglas County.In Douglasville, located in Douglas County, US 78 runs through the downtown, historical part of the city. It is the original thoroughfare for these Georgia counties.

The route then continues eastward throughCobbandFultoncounties intoAtlanta.After crossingPeachtree Street,where US 78 marks a boundary betweendowntownandMidtown,US 78 is largely conterminous withPonce de Leon Avenue.As it proceeds due east, this section of the route passesPonce City Marketand crosses theEastside Trailof theBeltLinebefore skirting a number ofFrederick Law Olmsted-designed parks in theDruid Hills Historic Districtat the eastern edge of the city.

After enteringDecaturinDeKalb County,US 78 departs from Ponce de Leon Avenue to head northeast. South of the site ofNorth DeKalb Mall,another short freeway portion begins — leading from just inside the eastern rim ofInterstate 285(the Perimeter) to thesuburbsofClarkston,Tucker,Stone Mountain,andSnellville.This portion is named theStone Mountain Freeway,and provides an excellent view ofStone Mountainfor eastbound motorists.

The route then proceeds east acrossGwinnett,Walton,andOconeecounties. In Oconee County, US 78 leaves Moina Michael Highway at theSR 316interchange, turning right and running concurrent with SR 316/US 29.(From this point, Moina Michael Highway is signed asUS 78 Business,which follows the original route of US 78 through Athens, Ga.) At the terminal eastern interchange of SR 316 both US 78 and US 29 turn right and join withSR 10 Loop,a mostly interstate-grade bypass that ringsAthens-Clarke County.US 78 exits the bypass and turns right at the Le xing ton Road interchange. From there US 78 passes throughOglethorpe,Wilkes,McDuffieandColumbiaCounties intoAugustaand then onto one of the twin bridges across theSavannah Riverinto South Carolina.^[3]

South Carolina

US 78 provides the most direct route between Augusta and Charleston, through theSouth Carolina Lowcountry.CrossingSavannah Riverinto the state, it goes northeast intoAikenbefore going southeasterly through the cities and towns ofWilliston,Blackville,Denmark,Bamberg,Branchville,andSt. George.East ofDorchester,it parallelsInterstate 26into downtown Charleston, where it ends.^[4]

History

In western Alabama, the historical name of US 78 isBankhead Highway.It is also known by this name in portions of Georgia, including Atlanta, and theBankheadneighborhood takes its name from that stretch of road. Also, the old section of US 78 (nowMS 178) that travels through downtownNew Albany, Mississippi,is namedBankhead Street.^{[citation needed]}

Throughout the 2000s, US 78 has been gradually upgraded into a four-lane freeway in Mississippi and Alabama and signed asI-22.US 78 is concurrent with I-22 fromByhalia, Mississippito just outside ofBirmingham, Alabama,only branching off just outside ofGraysville, Alabamawith I-22 traveling about 11 miles (18 km) eastward to its terminus atI-65.^[5]

On October 25, 2023, the Arkansas Highway Commission voted unanimously to extend the US 78 designation intonortheast Arkansas.According to theArkansas Department of Transportation(ARDOT), the US 78 designation would be extended along several other routes from its current western terminus inMemphis, Tennesseeacross theMemphis & Arkansas Bridgeto a new western terminus nearSwifton, ArkansasatUS 67(beforeI-57was designated at that time). The route would be cosigned along portions ofUS 64,US 70,US 79,I-55,US 61,I-40,Arkansas Highway 18(AR 18),AR 18S,I-555,US 49,US 63,andAR 226.This extension of the US 78 route designation was seen as a way to boost economic growth in the region by assigning a single route number for travelers to follow.^[6]^[7]The extension was approved by AASHTO in November 2023.^[1]

Future

US 78 and SR 4 inMemphis, Tennesseeis currently being upgraded between theMississippistate line andSR 176,a distance of about 5.1 miles (8.2 km). The route, Lamar Avenue, sees heavy freight traffic and has "crippling congestion." The work includes expanding the road from four to six lanes, adding three new interchanges, and upgrading additional ones. The work is being done in three segments with the first one starting in 2018.^[8]

Major intersections

Arkansas: I-57/US 67nearSwifton; US 49/US 63west ofJonesboro.The highways travel concurrently toward and through Jonesboro.; I-555in Jonesboro. The highway travels through Jonesboro.; US 61inBlytheville; I-55in Blytheville. Begin I-55 concurrency.; US 61in Blytheville; I-555/US 61northwest ofTurrell.Begin US 61 concurrency.; US 64inMarion.Begin US 64 concurrency.; I-40/US 79inWest Memphis.I-40/US 78 travels through West Memphis. Begin US 79 concurrency.; US 70in West Memphis. Begin US 70 concurrency.
Tennessee: I-55inMemphis.End I-55 concurrency.; US 61/US 64/US 70/US 79in Memphis. End US 61/US 64/US 70/US 79 concurrency.; I-69/I-240in Memphis; US 51in Memphis; I-240in Memphis
Mississippi: I-22/I-269west-northwest ofByhalia.Begin I-22 concurrency.; US 45inTupelo
Alabama: US 43/US 278inHamilton; I-22nearAdamsville.End I-22 concurrency.; I-20/I-59inBirmingham; US 11in Birmingham. The highways travel concurrently through Birmingham.; I-65in Birmingham; US 31/US 280in Birmingham; I-20inLeeds; US 411in Leeds; I-20northwest ofChulavista.The highways travel concurrently toPell City.; US 231in Pell City; I-20inRiverside; US 431inOxford.
Georgia: US 27inBremen; US 278inLithia Springs.The highways travel concurrently toDruid Hills.; I-285inAtlanta; US 19/US 41in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently through Atlanta.; US 19/US 29/US 41in Atlanta. US 29/US 78 travels concurrently to theScottdale–North Decaturcity line.; US 23in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently toDecatur.; I-285on the Scottdale–Clarkstoncity line; US 29southeast ofBogart.The highways travel concurrently toAthens.; US 129/US 441in Athens. The highways travel concurrently through Athens.; US 378inWashington; US 278southeast ofThomson.The highways travel concurrently toClearwater, South Carolina.; US 221inHarlem; I-520inAugusta; US 1in Augusta. The highways travel concurrently toAiken, South Carolina.; US 25in Augusta. The highways travel concurrently toNorth Augusta, South Carolina.
South Carolina: I-520in North Augusta; US 321inDenmark; US 301/US 601inBamberg; US 21inBranchville.The highways travel concurrently through Branchville.; I-95inSt. George; US 15in St. George; US 178east ofDorchester; I-26inNorth Charleston; US 52in North Charleston. The highways travel concurrently through North Charleston.; I-26in North Charleston; I-526in North Charleston; I-26/US 17inCharleston; King Street/Line Street in Charleston

^[9]

References

^^a ^bSpecial Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 2023)."2023 Fall Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets"(PDF)(Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.Archived(PDF)from the original on December 5, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 23,2024.
^"Route of US 78 in Alabama"(Map).Google Maps.RetrievedApril 11,2014.
^"Route of US 78 in Georgia"(Map).Google Maps.RetrievedApril 11,2014.
^"Route of US 78 in South Carolina"(Map).Google Maps.RetrievedApril 11,2014.
^"Interstate 22".Interstate-Guide.RetrievedMarch 18,2023.^{[self-published source]}
^"Commission approves Highway 78 designation through Northeast Arkansas".KAIT.October 25, 2023.RetrievedOctober 26,2023.
^Holt, Tony (October 26, 2023)."Commission approves extending U.S. 78 designation into Arkansas".Arkansas Online.RetrievedOctober 26,2023.
^"Lamar Avenue".Tennessee Department of Transportation.RetrievedMarch 20,2023.
^Rand McNally (2014).The Road Atlas(Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 4, 28, 56, 92, 94.ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2.

External links