U.S. Route 78 on arvau

Wikipedia / U.S. Route 78

U.S. Route78 (US78) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Swifton, Arkansas, to Charleston, South Carolina. From Byhalia, Mississippi, to Graysville, Alabama, US78 runs concurrently with Interstate 22 (I-22). The highway’s western terminus is at I-57/US 67 near 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 at US 64/US 70/US 79 (Second Street) in Memphis, Tennessee.

Route description

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Arkansas

US78 begins at interchange with I-57/US 67 at exit 102 where the roadway continues as AR 226 west toward Swifton. The route goes through towns of Cash, Jonesboro, Lake City, Black Oak, Monette, Manila and Blytheville. In Blytheville, the route runs concurrently with Interstate 55 (I-55) and travels south, going through Marion and West Memphis before turning east and crossing on the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge over the Mississippi River to enter Memphis, Tennessee.

Tennessee

US78 enters Tennessee along I-55 from Arkansas and shortly after diverges from I-55 onto E.H. Crump Boulevard. It is concurrent with US 61, US 64, US 70, US 79 and State Route 1 (SR1) until Third Street/B.B. King Boulevard. US61 turns south onto SR 14 south (Third Street) while US64, US70, and US79 turn north onto SR 4 west and SR14 north (B.B. King Boulevard) at this intersection. This is also where SR4 becomes concurrent with US78 for the remainder of its length. About a later, SR1 turns north onto (Danny Thomas Boulevard). US78/SR 4 then continues along E.H. Crump Boulevard to meet two interchanges with I-240 (the first interchange of I-240 is concurrent with I-69). Around I-240, the road changes names to Lamar Avenue and then it meets US 51 and SR 3 before continuing southeastwardly to the Mississippi state line.

In Memphis, US78 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

US78 is a freeway for its entire length in Mississippi. The section from its intersection with I-269 in Byhalia, Mississippi to the Alabama state line is concurrent with I-22. The highway runs across the northeastern rural part of the state, connecting several population centers. Mississippi's portion of US78 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3. The old routing of US78 through the state is signed as MS 178.

Alabama

US78 is a major east–west U.S. highway across the central part of Alabama. It is internally designated SR4 by the Alabama Department of Transportation, though the only section of SR4 that is signed is along portions mainly west of Jasper. The section from the Mississippi state line to near Graysville is concurrent with I-22; from Graysville south to Birmingham, US78 takes its original routing. East of Birmingham to the Georgia state line, US78 has been replaced as a major through-route by I-20. The two routes roughly parallel each other, with junctions at Leeds and Pell City.

West of Jasper, old US78 is signed as SR118 to Guin, and the segment from Guin northward to I-22 at Hamilton is signed as US43/US278.

Georgia

US78 enters Georgia in Haralson County, passing through the downtowns of Tallapoosa and Bremen. It then proceeds through Carroll County and Douglas County. In Douglasville, located in Douglas County, US78 runs through the downtown, historical part of the city. It is the original thoroughfare for these Georgia counties. Here, it is known colliqually as The Atlanta Highway.

The route then continues eastward through Cobb and Fulton counties into Atlanta. After crossing Peachtree Street, where US78 marks a boundary between Downtown and Midtown, US78 is largely conterminous with Ponce de Leon Avenue. As it proceeds due east, this section of the route passes Ponce City Market and crosses the Eastside Trail of the BeltLine before skirting a number of Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks in the Druid Hills Historic District at the eastern edge of the city.

After entering Decatur in DeKalb County, US78 departs from Ponce de Leon Avenue to head northeast. South of the site of North DeKalb Mall, another short freeway portion begins — leading from just inside the eastern rim of Interstate 285 (the Perimeter) to the suburbs of Clarkston, Tucker, Stone Mountain, and Snellville. This portion is named the Stone Mountain Freeway, and provides an excellent view of Stone Mountain for eastbound motorists.

The route then proceeds east across Gwinnett, Walton, and Oconee counties. In Oconee County, US78 leaves Moina Michael Highway at the SR 316 interchange, turning right and running concurrently with SR316/US 29. (From this point, Moina Michael Highway is signed as US 78 Business, which follows the original route of US78 through Athens) At the terminal eastern interchange of SR316 both US78 and US29 turn right and join with SR 10 Loop, a mostly Interstate-grade bypass that rings Athens-Clarke County. US78 exits the bypass and turns right at the Lexington Road interchange. From there US78 passes through Oglethorpe, Wilkes, McDuffie and Columbia Counties into Augusta and then onto one of the twin bridges across the Savannah River into South Carolina.

South Carolina

US78 provides the most direct route between Augusta and Charleston, through the South Carolina Lowcountry. Crossing Savannah River into the state, it goes northeast into Aiken before going southeasterly through the cities and towns of Williston, Blackville, Denmark, Bamberg, Branchville, and St. George. East of Dorchester, it parallels I-26 into downtown Charleston, where it ends.

History

In western Alabama, the historical name of US78 is Bankhead Highway. It is also known by this name in portions of Georgia, including Atlanta, and the Bankhead neighborhood takes its name from that stretch of road. Also, the old section of US78 (now MS 178) that travels through downtown New Albany, Mississippi, is named Bankhead Street.

Throughout the 2000s, US78 has been gradually upgraded into a four-lane freeway in Mississippi and Alabama and signed as I-22. US78 is concurrent with I-22 from Byhalia, Mississippi to just outside of Birmingham, Alabama, only branching off just outside of Graysville, Alabama with I-22 traveling about eastward to its terminus at I-65.

On October 25, 2023, the Arkansas Highway Commission voted unanimously to extend the US78 designation into northeast Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), the US78 designation would be extended along several other routes from its current western terminus in Memphis, Tennessee across the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge to a new western terminus near Swifton, Arkansas at US 67 (before I-57 was designated at that time). The route would be cosigned along portions of US 64, US 70, US 79, I-55, US 61, I-40, Arkansas Highway 18 (AR 18), AR 18S, I-555, US 49, US 63, and AR 226. This extension of the US78 route designation was seen as a way to boost economic growth in the region by assigning a single route number for travelers to follow. The extension was approved by AASHTO in November 2023.

Future

US78 and SR 4 in Memphis, Tennessee is currently being upgraded between the Mississippi state line and SR 176, a distance of about . 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.

Major intersections

Arkansas
near Swifton
west of Jonesboro. The highways travel concurrently toward and through Jonesboro.
in Jonesboro. The highway travels through Jonesboro.
in Blytheville
in Blytheville. Begin I-55 concurrency.
in Blytheville
northwest of Turrell. Begin US61 concurrency.
in Marion. Begin US64 concurrency.
in West Memphis. I-40/US 78 travels through West Memphis. Begin US79 concurrency.
in West Memphis. Begin US70 concurrency.
Tennessee
in Memphis. End I-55 concurrency.
in Memphis. End US61/US64/US70/US79 concurrency.
in Memphis
in Memphis
in Memphis
Mississippi
west-northwest of Byhalia. Begin I-22 concurrency.
in Tupelo
Alabama
in Hamilton
near Adamsville. End I-22 concurrency.
in Birmingham
in Birmingham. The highways travel concurrently through Birmingham.
in Birmingham
in Birmingham
in Leeds
in Leeds
northwest of Chulavista. The highways travel concurrently to Pell City.
in Pell City
in Riverside
in Oxford.
Georgia
in Bremen
in Lithia Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Druid Hills.
in Atlanta
in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently through Atlanta.
in Atlanta. US29/US78 travels concurrently to the Scottdale–North Decatur city line.
in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently to Decatur.
on the Scottdale–Clarkston city line
southeast of Bogart. The highways travel concurrently to Athens.
in Athens. The highways travel concurrently through Athens.
in Washington
southeast of Thomson. The highways travel concurrently to Clearwater, South Carolina.
in Harlem
in Augusta
in Augusta. The highways travel concurrently to Aiken, South Carolina.
in Augusta. The highways travel concurrently to North Augusta, South Carolina.
South Carolina
in North Augusta
in Denmark
in Bamberg
in Branchville. The highways travel concurrently through Branchville.
in St. George
in St. George
east of Dorchester
in North Charleston
in North Charleston. The highways travel concurrently through North Charleston.
in North Charleston
in North Charleston
in Charleston
King Street/Line Street in Charleston