 U.S. Route 98 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 98 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 962.5 mi[1] (1,549.0 km) | |||
| Existed | 1933[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 84 inBude, MS | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| East end |   SR A1A /SR 80 atPalm Beach, FL | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| States | Mississippi,Alabama,Florida | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–westUnited States Highway in theSoutheastern United States that runs from westernMississippi to southernFlorida. It was established in 1933 as a route betweenPensacola andApalachicola, Florida, and has since been extended westward intoMississippi and eastward across the Florida Peninsula.[citation needed] It runs along much of theGulf Coast betweenMobile, Alabama, andCrystal River, Florida, including extensive sections closely following the coast between Mobile andSt. Marks, Florida. The highway's western terminus is withUS 84 inBude, Mississippi. Its eastern terminus isPalm Beach, Florida, atState Road A1A (SR A1A) near theMar-a-Lago resort.
U.S. 98's western terminus is in Mississippi, and its eastern terminus is in Florida. Much of its route through Alabama and Florida falls within coastal counties.
US 98 enters the state from the southeast and immediately widens to four lanes. It bypassesLucedale to the north, and an interchange withMississippi Highway 63 provides four-laned access toPascagoula on theMississippi Gulf Coast, increasing road capacity for hurricane evacuations.[citation needed] AtHattiesburg, an interchange withU.S. Route 49 provides four-laned access toGulfport (to the south) andJackson (to the north). The road continues west from its intersection with US 49 toInterstate 59 at exit 59, with which it is concurrent through exit 65 (Hardy Street). The highway runs westward throughColumbia before meetingUS 51 inMcComb. It then joinsInterstate 55 from exit 15 (South McComb) to exit 20 (Summit). The last remaining two-laned section of US 98 in Mississippi then runs northwestward to its terminus nearBude inMeadville atUS 84.[2]
US 98 serves as a primary hurricane evacuation route in southern Mississippi, connecting cities along theMississippi Sound to inland destinations further north.[3]
The Mississippi section of US 98 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.
In Alabama, US 98 is paired with unsignedState Route 42 (SR 42). The route enters Alabama from the east nearLillian in ruralBaldwin County. AtDaphne, US 98 begins a concurrency withUS 90. US 90 and 98 junctionI-10 at Daphne on theeastern shore ofMobile Bay, then again on the western side of the bay as they enter downtownMobile. As the two routes approach the Mobile River, US 98 is split into two routes, with aUS 98 Truck route crossing the Mobile River via theCochrane–Africatown USA Bridge, co-signed with US 90. Passenger car traffic passes directly into town under the Mobile River via theBankhead Tunnel. Once the truck route rejoins the main route in downtown Mobile, US 98 assumes a northwestward trajectory, and entersMississippi near the community ofWilmer in westernMobile County. US 98 is the southern terminus of two major U.S. highways:US 31, atSpanish Fort, andUS 45 in Mobile.
The safety of the route, or the lack thereof, has earned the road the nickname "Bloody 98". The existing route between Semmes and the Mississippi state line is a two-lane undivided highway, and widening the route has been delayed due to a lack of budget and concern over pollution of Big Creek Lake, which supplies drinking water to the city of Mobile and other area towns. A project to construct a bypass route,State Route 158, was completed in October 2023, at a cost of $200 million;[4] however, a portion of the route remains two lanes, with no timeline as to completion to the planned four-lane configuration.
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Within Florida, US 98 is signed as an east–west highway from the Alabama-Florida state line toPerry. Throughout most of the Florida Peninsula, the road is marked as a north–south road, but directions return to east–west on the northeast shore ofLake Okeechobee.
Concurrencies includeUS 441 fromRoyal Palm Beach to Okeechobee,US 27 from South Sebring to West Frostproof,US 17 from Fort Meade to Bartow,US 301 from Clinton Heights to Moss Town,SR 50 from Ridge Manor to Brooksville,SR 50A thenUS 41 in Brooksville,US 19 from Chassahowitzka to Perry,ALT US 27 from Chiefland to Perry,US 319 in Medart and from St. Theresa to Port St. Joe, andUS 90 in Pensacola. The hidden designation for most of US 98 across the panhandle of the state of Florida isState Route 30. Between Chassahowitzka andPalm Beach, the hidden designation isState Route 700. There is a 60 mph speed limit east ofTyndall Air Force Base outside of Panama City all the way to Perry.
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US 98 was first commissioned in 1934. At that time, its entire route was within Florida, traveling fromPensacola toApalachicola. In 1952, the eastern end was extended to its present terminus in Palm Beach, Florida. In 1955, the western terminus was extended westward toNatchez, Mississippi. In 1999, the western end of US 98 was truncated to its intersection withUS 84 atMeadville, Mississippi, although it continued to be signed concurrently with US 84 toWashington, Mississippi until 2008.[5]
US 84 inBude.
I-55 inSummit. The highways travel concurrently toMcComb.
US 51 in McComb
I-59 inHattiesburg. The highways travel concurrently to south of Hattiesburg.
US 11 in Hattiesburg
US 49 in Hattiesburg
I-65 inMobile
US 45 in Mobile
US 90 in Mobile. The highways travel concurrently through Mobile.US 90 in Mobile. The highways travel concurrently toSpanish Fort.
I-10 in Mobile
US 31 in Spanish FortI-10 in Spanish FortI-10 /US 90 inDaphne. US 90/US 98 travels concurrently through Daphne.US 90 inPensacola. The highways travel concurrently through Pensacola.
US 29 in Pensacola
I-110 in Pensacola
US 331 southeast ofSanta Rosa Beach
US 231 inPanama City
US 319 east ofApalachicola. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest ofSt. Teresa.US 319 inMedart. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Medart.
US 19 /US 27 inPerry. US 19/US 98 travels concurrently to northeast ofChassahowitzka.
US 221 in Perry
US 129 inChiefland
US 41 inBrooksville. The highways travel concurrently through Brooksville.
I-75 west-northwest ofRidge Manor
US 301 inLacoochee. The highways travel concurrently to south ofDade City.
I-4 inLakeland
US 92 in Lakeland
US 17 inBartow. The highways travel concurrently toFort Meade.US 27 east ofWest Frostproof. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest ofSpring Lake.
US 441 inOkeechobee. The highways travel concurrently toRoyal Palm Beach.
Florida's Turnpike atWest Palm Beach
I-95 in West Palm Beach
US 1 in West Palm BeachSR A1A inPalm BeachBlue Mountain recorded a song titled "Bloody 98," specifically referring to a two-laned section of the highway betweenMobile, Alabama andHattiesburg, Mississippi.
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ←US 90 | MS | →I-110 | ||
← SR 97 | AL | → SR 99 | ||
← SR 97 | FL | → SR 100 | ||
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