 U.S. Route 278 | |
|---|---|
 US 278 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Auxiliary route ofUS 78 | |
| Length | 1,074 mi[citation needed] (1,728 km) |
| Existed | 1952–present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |   US 59 /US 71 inWickes, AR |
| Major intersections |
|
| East end |   US 278 Bus. inHilton Head Island, SC |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Arkansas,Mississippi,Alabama,Georgia,South Carolina |
| Highway system | |
U.S. Route 278 (US 278) is a parallel route ofUS 78. It currently runs for 1,074 miles (1,728 km) fromHilton Head Island, South Carolina, toWickes, Arkansas atUS 71/US 59, passing through five states in the process. Landmarks along its route include theDepartment of Energy'sSavannah River Site in South Carolina and theTennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in eastern Mississippi. There are several universities located along the highway including theGeorgia Institute of Technology, theUniversity of Mississippi,Delta State University, and theUniversity of Arkansas at Monticello.
US 278 begins at an intersection withUS 59/US 71 in the town ofWickes in southwestern Arkansas.[1] From Wickes, US 278 continues eastward nearGillham Lake to an overlap withUS 70 throughDierks.[2] Continuing south, US 278 overlapsHighway 26 for 0.09 miles (0.14 km) atCenter Point.[3] Further south the route continues intoNashville. The route overlapsUS 371 and laterHighway 27 upon entering Nashville.
EnteringHempstead County, the highway winds through rural areas toOzan andWashington, before meetingUS 278 Business (US 278B) outsideHope.[4] The highway crosses overInterstate 30 (I-30) shortly after entering the city limits and overlapsHighway 29 andHighway 32. US 278/AR 29/AR 32 intersectUS 67 in east Hope. South of this junction AR 29 splits and US 278/AR 32 continues southeast. Further along this route, AR 32 turns southeast toWillisville and US 278 runs towardCamden.
The route intersectsHighway 53 in ruralNevada County, overlaps US 371 inRosston, and has a junction withHighway 57 upon enteringOuachita County.[5][6] InCamden, US 278 intersectsHighway 24 before it meetsUS 278B andUS 79B prior to overlappingUS 79. US 278 breaks from US 79 nearHarrell Field shortly before enteringEast Camden. US 278 continues intoCalhoun County andHampton and a junction withUS 371.[7] The east edge of town brings an intersection withHighway 274 as US 278 continues toHarrell andHighway 160 before enteringBradley County. Aside fromBanks, where US 278 has a junction withHighway 275, the route runs through rural country untilWarren, where US 278 almost entirely bypasses the city to the south while US 278B runs downtown, including a brief overlap withUS 63B. US 278 has an intersection withUS 63/AR 8 along the southern edge of Warren before serving as the eastern terminus for US 278B. Further east the highway intersectsHighway 172, which gives access to the Warren Prairie Natural Area just east of theDrew County line.[8]
The route continues toMonticello toMcGehee, where it meetsUS 65. US 278 overlaps US 65 southward for 16 miles (26 km) until they separate inLake Village. There, US 65 splits off and US 278 overlapsUS 82 east to theMississippi River, where US 82/US 278 crosses into Mississippi.
Long-term plans are to move US 278 to theCharles W. Dean Bridge,[9] which is part of the proposed extension ofI-69.
US 82/US 278 goes throughGreenville toLeland, where US 278 separates from US 82 atUS 61. US 278 then joins US 61 northward throughCleveland before splitting inClarksdale. East of Clarksdale, it overlapsMississippi Highway 6 throughBatesville,Oxford, andPontotoc before reachingTupelo. At Tupelo, MS 6 separates from US 278 while US 278 overlapsUS 45 south toNew Wren. From New Wren, US 278 continues east throughAmory before enteringAlabama.
US 278 enters Alabama betweenGreenwood Springs, Mississippi, andSulligent, Alabama. As in Georgia, this and all U.S routes are partnered with state routes; however, there are few instances throughout the state where the state route number is posted. From the Mississippi state line toGuin, US 278 is paired withState Route 118. FromHamilton to the Georgia state line, US 278 is paired withState Route 74.
US 278 junctions withUS 431 atGadsden. The two routes overlap until they split atAttalla. US 278 overlapsUS 43 betweenHamilton andGuin. Prior to the completion ofCorridor X (FutureI-22), these two routes also overlappedUS 78 between these two towns; eastbound US 78 traveled in the same direction as westbound US 278.
In Atlanta, US 278 runs along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway (Bankhead Highway), North Avenue, briefly along Piedmont Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue. Outsidethe Perimeter, US 278 runs along Covington Highway. InLithonia, Georgia, at the intersection with Turner Hill Road (SR 124), US 278 merges withI-20 for 15 miles (24 km). It leaves I-20 at exit 90, inCovington, Georgia.
US 278 is co-signed with a state route for its entire length in Georgia, as are all U.S. Highways in the state. From the Alabama line intoLithia Springs, it is co-signed withSR 6. From Lithia Springs through Atlanta, it is merged with US 78/SR 8. In Atlanta, US 278 merges further with other highways includingSR 10 andUS 23 before splitting off at Ponce de Leon Ave. and East Lake Road nearDecatur. InAvondale Estates,SR 12 is paired with US 278, all the way intoThomson. There, US 278 merges with US 78/SR 10 to the South Carolina line.
After crossing theSavannah River, US 278 bypassesNorth Augusta, South Carolina, en route toBeech Island and Johnson Crossroads. It then winds through a corner of theSavannah River Site. The route then continues onward through the towns ofAllendale,Fairfax,Hampton,Varnville,Ridgeland, andHardeeville where it meetsI-95. US 278 shares the route between Ridgeland and Hardeeville withUS 17.
Upon reaching Hardeeville, the route heads eastward toward theAtlantic with major new developments lining the spine of the road from Hardeeville throughSun City andBluffton before crossing over the bridge toHilton Head Island. US 278 ends at US 278 Business on the southern portion of Hilton Head Island, just outsideSea Pines Plantation.
In 1954, US 278 was extended fromGuin, Alabama, toAugusta, Georgia. The extension was routed alongUS 43 from Guin toHamilton, Alabama, then overSR 74 to the Georgia state line. In Georgia, US 278 was routed overSR 6 toAtlanta andSR 12 to Augusta.[10] A further extension from Augusta toJacksonboro, South Carolina, in 1955 was denied by AASHO in 1955.[11]
In 1989, US 278 was rerouted throughDallas, Georgia; the former route through town was redesignatedUS 278 Byp.[12] AASHTO approved another relocation throughRockmart, Georgia, in 1990; the former route through town becameUS 278 Bus.[13] A third relocation the following year inCedartown, Georgia, was also approved.[14]
Alabama rerouted a section of US 278 in Guin over a section ofSR 118 in 1995. At the same time, South Carolina rerouted the highway inRidgeland overUS 17 andSC 88.[15]
Mississippi and Arkansas extended US 278 westward in 1997 fromUS 45 inNettleton, Mississippi, toUS 71 inWickes, Arkansas.[16] The following year, the highway was relocated onHilton Head Island, South Carolina; the former routing becauseUS 278 Bus.[17]
Alabama relocated US 278 inGadsden in 2000.[18] Until early 2005, US 278 was only signed in Mississippi from the Alabama state line to US 45 west ofAmory. US 278 in western Alabama was formerly routed through Haleyville via current SR 195 and SR 129.[citation needed] In 2014, Alabama relocated US 278 inCullman.[19]
US 59 /US 71 inWickes
US 70 north-northeast ofDierks. The highways travel concurrently to Dierks.
US 371 west ofNashville. The highways travel concurrently to Nashville.
I-30 inHope
US 67 in HopeUS 371 inRosston. The highways travel concurrently through Rosston.
US 79 inCamden. The highways travel concurrently to west-northwest ofEast Camden.
US 167 inHampton
US 63 inWarren
Future I-69 east of Warren
US 425 inMonticelloFuture I-69 west of MonticelloFuture I-69 northwest ofMcGehee. The highways will travel concurrently toClarksdale, Mississippi.
US 65 /US 165 in McGehee. US 65/US 278 travels concurrently to south-southeast ofLake Village. US 165/US 278 travels concurrently toDermott.
US 82 in Lake Village. The highways travel concurrently to east ofLeland, Mississippi.
US 61 /US 82 east of Leland. US 61/US 278 travels concurrently toClarksdale.
US 49 in Clarksdale. The highways travel concurrently through Clarksdale.Future I-69 in Clarksdale
US 51 inBatesville
I-55 in Batesville
US 45 on theVerona–Tupelo city line. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest ofNew Wren.
US 43 inGuin. The highways travel concurrently toHamilton.
I-22 /US 78 in Hamilton
I-65 inCullman
US 31 in Cullman
US 231 south-southwest ofSummit
US 431 northwest ofAttalla. The highways travel concurrently toGadsden.
US 11 in Attalla. The highways travel concurrently through Attalla.
I-59 in Attalla
US 411 in Gadsden
US 27 inCedartown. The highways travel concurrently through Cedartown.US 78 inLithia Springs. The highways travel concurrently toDruid Hills.
I-285 inAtlanta
US 19 /US 41 in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently through Atlanta.
US 19 /US 29 /US 41 in Atlanta. US 29/US 278 travels concurrently to Druid Hills.
US 23 in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently to Druid Hills.I-285 inBelvedere Park
I-20 southeast ofLithonia. The highways travel concurrently toCovington.I-20 south ofSocial Circle
US 129 /US 441 inMadison. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Madison.I-20 inBarnettUS 78 southeast ofThomson. The highways travel concurrently toClearwater, South Carolina.
US 221 inHarlem
I-520 inAugusta
US 1 in Augusta. The highways travel concurrently to Clearwater, South Carolina.
US 25 in Augusta. The highways travel concurrently toNorth Augusta, South Carolina.I-520 in North Augusta
US 301 inAllendale. The highways travel concurrently through Allendale.
US 321 inFairfax
US 601 inHampton. The highways travel concurrently through Hampton.
US 17 inRidgeland. The highways travel concurrently toHardeeville.
I-95 in HardeevilleUS 278 Bus. inHilton Head Island.WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi has expressed interest in extending U.S. 278, which presently ends at Tupelo, westward into Arkansas on a temporary location, utilizing the U.S. 82 river crossing, with an ultimate alignment over the future Great River Bridge and connecting roadways;
