U.S. Route 278
Length:	1074 mi[1] (1728 km)
West end:	U.S. 59 / U.S. 71 at Wickes, Ark.
Major junctions:	I-30 in Hope, Ark. I-55 in Batesville, Miss. I-22 (Future) in Hamilton, Ala. I-65 in Cullman, Ala. I-59 in Gadsden, Ala. I-285 near Atlanta, GA (twice) I-75 / I-85 in Atlanta, GA I-20 in Covington, GA I-520 near Augusta, GA I-95 in Hardeeville, SC
East end:	US 278 Bus. in Hilton Head, SC
United States Numbered Highways List – Bannered – Divided – Replaced

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, 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.

Contents 1 Route description 1.1 Arkansas 1.2 Mississippi 1.3 Alabama 1.4 Georgia 1.5 South Carolina 2 History 3 Major intersections 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Route description

[edit] Arkansas

US 278 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 59/U.S. Route 71 in the town of Wickes in southwestern Arkansas. From Wickes, US 278 continues eastward through Hope, Camden, and 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Georgia

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.

[edit] South Carolina

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.

[edit] History

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.

[edit] Major intersections

• U.S. Route 59/U.S. Route 71 at Wickes, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 70 at Dierks, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 371 at Nashville, Arkansas
• Interstate 30 at Hope, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 67 at Hope, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 371 at Rosston, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 79 at Camden, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 167 at Hampton, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 63 at Warren, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 425 at Monticello, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 65 from McGehee to Lake Village, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 82 from Lake Village, Arkansas to Leland, Mississippi
• U.S. Route 61 from Leland to Clarksdale, Mississippi
• U.S. Route 49 at Clarksdale, Mississippi
• Interstate 55 at Batesville, Mississippi
• U.S. Route 45 at Okolona, Mississippi
• U.S. Route 78 (future Interstate 22) at Hamilton, Alabama
• U.S. Route 43 from Guin to Hamilton, Alabama
• Interstate 65 at Cullman, Alabama
• U.S. Route 31 at Cullman, Alabama
• U.S. Route 231 near Snead, Alabama
• U.S. Route 11 at Attalla, Alabama
• U.S. Route 431 from Attalla to Gadsden, Alabama
• Interstate 59 at Gadsden, Alabama
• U.S. Route 27 at Cedartown, Georgia
• U.S. Route 78 from Lithia Springs to Druid Hills, Georgia
• Interstate 75/Interstate 85 at Atlanta, Georgia
• Interstate 285 at Decatur, Georgia
• U.S. Route 129/U.S. Route 441 at Madison, Georgia
• Interstate 20 at Barnett, Georgia
• U.S. Route 221 at Harlem, Georgia
• U.S. Route 25 at Augusta, Georgia
• Interstate 520 east of Augusta, Georgia
• U.S. Route 301 at Allendale, South Carolina
• U.S. Route 321 at Fairfax, South Carolina
• U.S. Route 601 at Hampton, South Carolina
• U.S. Route 17 from Ridgeland to Hardeeville, South Carolina
• Interstate 95 at Hardeeville, South Carolina

[edit] See also

• U.S. Route 78

[edit] References

Browse numbered routes
< I-269	MS		MS 301 >