U.S. Route 78

infobox U.S. Route
article_route=78

---

length_mi=715
length_ref= [http://www.us-highways.com/us1830.htm US Highways from US 1 to US 830] Robert V. Droz]
length_km=1151
yrcom=1926
direction_a=West
direction_b=East
from=Jct|state=TN|I|240|TN|4 at Memphis, TN
junction=Jct|state=MS|US|45 at Tupelo, MS
Jct|state=AL|I|20|I|59 at Birmingham, AL
Jct|state=AL|I|65 at Birmingham
Jct|state=GA|I|75|I|85 at Atlanta, GA
Jct|state=SC|I|95 at St. George, SC
to=Jct|state=SC|US|17 at Charleston, SC

U.S. Highway 78 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 715 miles (1,151 km) from Memphis, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina. Between Memphis and Birmingham, Alabama, it is being upgraded to become Interstate 22.

The highway's western terminus is at Second Street (southbound State Route 14) in Memphis, Tennessee. Its eastern terminus is at U.S. Highway 17 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Route description

Tennessee

U.S. Highway 78 runs along Linden Avenue, Somerville Street, E. H. Crump Boulevard, and Lamar Avenue through Memphis, Tennessee. Between Memphis and Tupelo, Mississippi, the highway is designated Elvis Presley Memorial Highway. In Tennessee, US 78 is also known as Pigeon Roost Road, and some aborted sections of the highway in Mississippi also claim this name.

Mississippi

U.S. Highway 78 is completely controlled-access freeway from the Tennessee state line all the way to Graysville, Alabama. Although not currently a part of the U.S. Interstate system, it is now on its way to becoming Interstate 22, which will run from Memphis to Birmingham. At the time the highway was reconstructed to freeway standards, conversion to an interstate was not considered likely. As a result of that and the fact that Tennessee has never upgraded its portion from the state line to Interstate 240, at least two projects are required to raise Mississippi's entire U.S. 78 segment to interstate standards: reconstruction of a substandard interchange at New Albany and the addition of a new interchange at or near Memphis to tie the freeway to another interstate. According to information available at the Project Updates and Media Room sections of the Mississippi Department of Transportation's website (www.gomdot.com), this new interchange will be in Mississippi and operational once construction of the relevant segment is complete on the new Interstate 269.

Mississippi's portion of U.S. 78 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Alabama

U.S. 78 is paired throughout the state with State Route 4. Except for completed sections of Corridor X (Future I-22), State Route 4 is an unmarked route. As of July 2007, U.S. 78 is routed along Corridor X between the Mississippi state line and Graysville, a distance of convert|85|mi|km.

Georgia

There is another short freeway portion east of Atlanta, leading from just inside (west of) I-285 (the Perimeter) eastward to the suburb of Stone Mountain, Georgia. This portion is named the Stone Mountain Freeway, and has an excellent view of Stone Mountain while traveling eastbound.

The route then continues eastward through DeKalb, Gwinnett, Walton, and Oconee counties. In Oconee county US 78 leaves Moina Michael Highway at the Georgia 316 interchange, turning right and running concurrent with Ga. 316/US 29. (From this point, Moina Michael Highway is signed as US 78 Business, which follows the original route of US 78 through Athens, Ga.) At the terminal eastern interchange of Ga. 316 both US 78 and US 29 turn right and join with Ga. 10 Loop, a mostly interstate-grade bypass that rings Athens-Clarke County. US 78 exits the bypass and turns right at the Lexington Road interchange. From there US 78 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.

outh Carolina

From the Savannah River bridge opposite Augusta, Georgia, the route continues eastward through Aiken, Barnwell, Bamberg, Orangeburg and Dorchester Counties into Charleston County, terminating in the City of Charleston.

History

In western Alabama, the historical name of U.S. 78 is the Bankhead Highway. It is also known by this name in portions of Atlanta, and the Bankhead neighborhood takes its name from that stretch of road. Also, the old section of U.S. 78 (now MS-178) that runs through downtown New Albany, Mississippi is named as Bankhead Street.

Future

There is a freeway portion of US 78 that begins from the Tennessee / Mississippi border near southeast Memphis and continues through Mississippi to Graysville, Alabama, and the freeway is under construction all the way to Birmingham, Alabama, where it will junction with Interstate 65 and U.S. Highway 31. Although there are major Interstate highways near this freeway's endpoints, it is a discrete segment of controlled-access freeway. This will change over the next few years as it is upgraded to become the new Interstate 22. It is uncertain whether US 78 will be decommissioned west of Birmingham or the old route recommissioned as US 78 upon completion of Interstate 22.

Major intersections

Tennessee

* U.S. Routes 51, 61, 64, 70, 72, and 79 at Memphis, Tennessee
* Interstate 240 at Memphis

Mississippi

* U.S. Route 45 at Tupelo, Mississippi

Alabama

* U.S. Routes 43 and 278 at Hamilton, Alabama
* Interstate 20/59 in Birmingham, Alabama near Birmingham-Southern College
* Interstate 65 in Birmingham
* U.S. Route 11 at Birmingham. The two routes share a concurrency for four miles (6 km) leading into Birmingham’s downtown
* U.S. Routes 31 and 280 at Birmingham
* Interstate 20 at Eden, Alabama. I-20 and U.S. 78 overlap between Exit 153 and 156 Chula Vista, Alabama. I-20 and U.S. 78 also junction east of Pell City, Alabama

Georgia

* U.S. Route 27 at Bremen, Georgia
* Interstate 285 at Atlanta
* U.S. Route 29 at Atlanta. The two routes overlap until they split in Decatur
* U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 41 in Atlanta
* Interstate 75/85 (the Downtown Connector) in Atlanta
* U.S. Route 23 in Atlanta. The two routes overlap through portions of the city
* Interstate 285 at Clarkston, Georgia
* Georgia State Route 124 at Snellville, Georgia
* U.S. Routes 29, 129 and 441 at Athens, Georgia
* Interstate 20 at Thomson, Georgia
* U.S. Route 1 at Augusta, Georgia. The two routes overlap until they split in Aiken, South Carolina
* Interstate 520 at Augusta
* U.S. Route 25 at Augusta

outh Carolina

* U.S. Route 301 in Bamberg, South Carolina
* U.S. Route 21 at Branchville, South Carolina
* U.S. Route 15 at St. George
* Interstate 26 in Charleston, South Carolina
* U.S. Route 52 in Charleston

ee also

*Interstate 22

Related U.S. Routes

* U.S. Route 178
* U.S. Route 278
* U.S. Route 378

References

External links

* [http://www.evermorecid.org Evermore Community Improvement District]
* [http://www.aaroads.com/high-priority/corr10.html High Priority Corridors @ aaroads.com]
* [http://www.78cid.org Highway 78 CID]

###@@@KEYEND@@@###