US 278 begins at an intersection with
US 59/
US 71 in the town of
Wickes in southwestern Arkansas.[1] From Wickes, US 278 continues eastward near
Gillham Lake to an overlap with
US 70 through
Dierks.[2] Continuing south, US 278 overlaps
Highway 26 for 0.09 miles (0.14 km) at
Center Point.[3] Further south the route continues into
Nashville. The route overlaps
US 371 and later
Highway 27 upon entering Nashville.
Entering
Hempstead County, the highway winds through rural areas to
Ozan and
Washington, before meeting
US 278 Business (US 278B) outside
Hope.[4] The highway crosses over
Interstate 30 (I-30) shortly after entering the city limits and overlaps
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 US 278/AR 32 continues southeast. Further along this route, AR 32 turns southeast to
Willisville and US 278 runs toward
Camden.
The route intersects
Highway 53 in rural
Nevada County, overlaps US 371 in
Rosston, and has a junction with
Highway 57 upon entering
Ouachita County.[5][6] In
Camden, US 278 intersects
Highway 24 before it meets
US 278B and
US 79B prior to overlapping
US 79. US 278 breaks from US 79 near
Harrell Field shortly before entering
East Camden. US 278 continues into
Calhoun County and
Hampton and a junction with
US 371.[7] The east edge of town brings an intersection with
Highway 274 as US 278 continues to
Harrell and
Highway 160 before entering
Bradley County. Aside from
Banks, where US 278 has a junction with
Highway 275, the route runs through rural country until
Warren, where US 278 almost entirely bypasses the city to the south while US 278B runs downtown, including a brief overlap with
US 63B. US 278 has an intersection with
US 63/
AR 8 along the southern edge of Warren before serving as the eastern terminus for US 278B. Further east the highway intersects
Highway 172, which gives access to the Warren Prairie Natural Area just east of the
Drew County line.[8]
The route continues to
Monticello to
McGehee, where it meets
US 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
US 82 east to the
Mississippi River, where US 82/US 278 crosses into Mississippi.
Long-term plans are to move US 278 to the
Charles W. Dean Bridge,[9] which is part of the proposed extension of
I-69.
Mississippi
US 49 and US 61 run with US 278 near Clarksdale, MS
US 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, US 278 is paired with
State Route 118. From
Hamilton to the Georgia state line, US 278 is paired with
State Route 74.
US 278 junctions with
US 431 at
Gadsden. The two routes overlap until they split at
Attalla. US 278 overlaps
US 43 between
Hamilton and
Guin. Prior to the completion of
Corridor X (Future
I-22), these two routes also overlapped
US 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. Outside
the Perimeter, US 278 runs along Covington Highway. In
Lithonia, Georgia, at the intersection with Turner Hill Road (
SR 124), US 278 merges with
I-20 for 15 miles (24 km). It leaves I-20 at exit 90, in
Covington, 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 into
Lithia Springs, it is co-signed with
SR 6. From Lithia Springs through Atlanta, it is merged with US 78/
SR 8. In Atlanta, US 278 merges further with other highways including
SR 10 and
US 23 before splitting off at Ponce de Leon Ave. and East Lake Road near
Decatur. In
Avondale Estates,
SR 12 is paired with US 278, all the way into
Thomson. There, US 278 merges with US 78/SR 10 to the South Carolina line.
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. US 278 ends at US 278 Business on the southern portion of Hilton Head Island, just outside
Sea Pines Plantation.
Alabama rerouted a section of US 278 in Guin over a section of
SR 118 in 1995. At the same time, South Carolina rerouted the highway in
Ridgeland over
US 17 and
SC 88.[15]
Alabama relocated US 278 in
Gadsden in 2000.[18] Until early 2005, US 278 was only signed in Mississippi from the Alabama state line to US 45 west of
Amory. 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 in
Cullman.[19]
^Planning and Research Division (2000).
General Highway Map, Polk County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
^Planning and Research Division (2000).
General Highway Map, Howard County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
^Planning and Research Division (2000).
General Highway Map, Hempstead County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
^Planning and Research Division (2011).
General Highway Map, Nevada County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
^Planning and Research Division (2008).
General Highway Map, Ouachita County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
^Planning and Research Division (1999).
General Highway Map, Calhoun County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
^Planning and Research Division (2008).
General Highway Map, Bradley County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
^"Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission, August 6, 1997"(PDF). p. 963. 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;
^Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 29, 2014).
"Report to SCOH" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from
the original(DOCX) on February 26, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
^Rand McNally (2014). The Road Atlas (Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 4, 10–11, 28, 56, 92.
ISBN0-528-00771-8.