| U.S. Route 278 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 1,074 mi[1] (1,728 km) |
| Existed: | 1998 – present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: | U.S. 59 / U.S. 71 at Wickes, Ark. |
| I-30 in Hope, Ark. I-55 in Batesville, Miss. |
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| East] end: | US 278 Bus. in Hilton Head, SC |
| Highway system | |
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United States Numbered Highways |
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U.S. Route 278 is a parallel route of U.S. Route 78. It currently runs for 1,074 miles (1,728km) from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to Wickes, Arkansas at U.S. Highway 71/U.S. Highway 59. It might be notable that it is longer than its parent highway, US Hwy-78. US Hwy-278 passes through the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. This highway passes through the cities and towns of Augusta, Covington, Atlanta, Powder Springs, Georgia; Hiram, Georgia; Dallas, Georgia; Rockmart, Georgia; Cedartown, Georgia; Gadsden, Cullman, Alabama; Tupelo, Oxford, Greenville, Mississippi; Monticello, and Hope, Arkansas.
It also passes through the Savannah River Site, of the Department of Energy in South Carolina, and it crossed the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in eastern Mississippi.
By coincidence, U.S. 278 passes through the places where many colleges, universities, and technical institutes are located, including the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and many others in Atlanta, Georgia; the Augusta State University; the University of Mississippi, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
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US 278 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 59/U.S. Route 71 in the town of Wickes in southwestern Arkansas.[2] From Wickes, US 278 continues eastward near Gillham Lake to an overlap with US 70 through Dierks.[3] Continuing south, US 278 passes the Ebenezer Campground and has an officially designated exception with Highway 26 of 0.09 miles (0.14 km) at Center Point very near the Adam Boyd House.[4] Further south the route serves as the northern terminus of Highway 355 near the Russey-Murray House and continues south to enter Nashville. The route begins an overlap with U.S. Route 371 and later Highway 27 upon entering Nashville, where it passes the Howard County Courthouse, the Nashville Post Office, the Nashville Commercial Historic District, the First Presbyterian Church, and the Nashville American Legion Building, all properties on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]
Entering Hempstead County, the highway winds through rural areas to Ozan and the Washington Confederate Monument in Washington before meeting US 278 Business (US 278B) outside Hope.[6] The highway crosses over Interstate 30 shortly after entering the city limits and continues along Bill Clinton Drive, forming a concurrency with Highway 29 and Highway 32. US 278/AR 29/AR 32 intersect US 67 in east Hope. South of this junction AR 29 splits and continues south as Bill Clinton Drive with US 278/AR 32 continuing southeast. Further along this route, Highway 32 turns southeast to Willisville and US 278 runs toward Camden.
The route intersects Highway 53 in rural Nevada County, has an officially designated exception with US 371 in Rosston, and has a junction with Highway 57 upon entering Ouachita County.[7][8] Highway 278 passes the Two Bayou Methodist Church and Cemetery and the Bragg House before entering Camden. In the city, US 278 intersects Highway 24 before it meets US 278B and US 79B prior to overlapping US 79. Highway 278 breaks from US 79 near Harrell Field shortly before entering East Camden.
The route continues to Monticello to McGehee, where it meets U.S. Route 65. US 278 overlaps US 65 southward for 16 miles (26 km) until they separate in Lake Village. There, US 65 splits off and US 278 overlaps U.S. Route 82 east to the Mississippi River, where US 82 and US 278 cross into Mississippi.
US 82 and US 278 go through Greenville to Leland, where US 278 separates from US 82 at U.S. Route 61. US 278 then joins US 61 northward through Cleveland before splitting in Clarksdale. East of Clarksdale, it overlaps Mississippi Highway 6 through Batesville, Oxford, and Pontotoc before reaching Tupelo. At Tupelo, MS 6 separates from US 278 while US 278 overlaps U.S. Route 45 south to New Wren. From New Wren, US 278 continues east through Amory before entering Alabama.
U.S. 278 enters Alabama between Greenwood Springs, Mississippi and Sulligent, 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 to Guin, U.S. 278 is paired with State Route 118. From Hamilton to the Georgia state line, U.S. 278 is paired with State Route 74.
U.S. 278 junctions U.S. Route 431 at Gadsden. The two routes overlap until they split at Attalla. After a reconfiguration of 3rd St SW at Main Ave SW to connect directly with 4th St SW in Cullman, U.S. 278 no longer briefly overlaps U.S. Route 31 for a block. U.S. 278 overlaps U.S. Route 43 between Hamilton and Guin. Prior to the completion of Corridor X (Future I-22), these two routes also overlapped U.S. Route 78 between these two towns, with East U.S. 78 travelling in the same direction as West U.S. 278.
In Atlanta, it (U.S. 278) runs along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway (Bankhead Highway), North Avenue, briefly along Piedmont Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue. Outside the Perimeter, U.S. 278 runs along Covington Highway. In Lithonia, Georgia, at the intersection with Turner Hill Road (S.R. 124), U.S. 278 merges with Interstate 20 for 15 miles (24 km). It leaves I-20 at exit 90, in Covington, Georgia.
U.S. 278 is co-signed with a state route for its entire length in Georgia, as are all U.S. highways in Georgia. From the Alabama line into Lithia Springs, Georgia, it is co-signed with S.R. 6. From Lithia Springs through Atlanta, it is merged with U.S. Route 78/S.R. 8. In Atlanta, the federal highway merges further with other highways including S.R. 10 and U.S. Route 23 before splitting off at Ponce de Leon Ave. and East Lake Road in Decatur. In Avondale Estates, Georgia, S.R. 12 is paired with U.S. 278, all the way into Thomson, Georgia. There, the federal route merges with U.S. 78/S.R. 10 to the South Carolina line.
After crossing the Savannah River, U.S. 278 bypasses North Augusta, South Carolina en route to Beech Island and Johnson Crossroads. It then winds through a corner of the Savannah River Site. The route then continues onward through the communities of Allendale, Fairfax, Hampton, Varnville, Ridgeland, and Hardeeville where it meets I-95. U.S. 278 shares the route between Ridgeland and Hardeeville with U.S. 17. Prior to the construction of Exit 8 on Interstate 95 (which provides direct access to southern Beaufort County), U.S. 278 went from Ridgeland through Old House and Okatie toward Bluffton, along present-day state routes 336, 462, and 170.
Upon reaching Hardeeville, the route heads eastward toward the Atlantic with major new developments lining the spine of the road from Hardeeville through Sun City and Bluffton before crossing over the bridge to Hilton Head Island. U.S. 278 ends at U.S. 278 Business on the southern portion of Hilton Head Island, just outside Sea Pines Plantation. Old U.S. 278 was routed along what is now U.S. 278 Business until 1998, when a new toll road, dubbed the Cross Island Parkway was built. U.S. 278 was routed along the new parkway. The completion of the "Gateway to Hilton Head", a direct expressway connection from the north side to the south side of the island, has caused a great amount of commercial and residential development along the road.
Until early 2005, U.S. 278 was only signed in Mississippi from the Alabama state line to U.S. Route 45 west of Amory, Mississippi. US 278 in western Alabama used to be routed through Haleyville by what are now Alabama highways 195 and 129.
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← Hwy. 277 | AR | Hwy. 279 → | ||
| ← I-269 | MS | MS 301 → | ||
| ← SR-277 | AL | SR-279 → | ||
| ← SR 277 | GA | SR 279 → | ||
| ← SC 277 | SC | SC 279 → | ||