End of US highway 378 |
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Summa
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1951-present
Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 239 miles for US 378... however, that included the mileage of US 378's associated business route. According to the state subtotals on AASHTO's 1989 spreadsheet, mainline US 378's actual end-to-end total at the time was 234 miles. That closely matches our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 232.1 miles.
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US 378 is a relative latecomer, being commissioned in 1951, and its endpoints have remained the same ever since. The west terminus is in Washington, at its junction with its parent route, US 78:
Ivy/Nitzman, Oct. 2010
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Turner, May 2023
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That was looking west on US 378, or Lincolnton Road. The upcoming intersection is Sam McGill Parkway. In the distance is an "End" assembly:
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Turner, May 2023
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Today westbound US 78 is to the right, but originally it went straight ahead through downtown Washington on Robert Toombs Avenue (which is Business 78 now). Heading the opposite way (east on Toombs), the ground-level assembly at lower right includes an "End Business 78" sign, and the beginning of US 378 is signed thus:
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Ivy/Nitzman, Oct. 2010
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Before the current US 78 bypass was built, the beginning of US 378 was just a bit further ahead. This interactive image shows the former alignment of US 78 straight ahead, and the curve to the left was the beginning of US 378:
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Today that historic junction marks the approximate location of the first eastbound confirming marker:
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Turner, May 2023
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Drivers on eastbound US 78 approach that intersection from the left, so for them the beginning of US 378 is a left turn:
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Ivy/Nitzman, Oct. 2010
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Here is a view from the opposite direction (westbound US 78, or north on Sam McGill):
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Ivy/Nitzman, Oct. 2010
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About 235 miles ahead, one reaches the east end of US 378 in Conway. The last eastbound sign was posted on 3rd Avenue, about a half-mile before the terminus:
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Karners, Jan. 2017
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The US 378 designation ends at Main Street, which was once mainline US 501, but today carries Business 501. However, neither "END" nor "JCT" signage was there; only a green directional sign, posted underneath one of Conway's many lovely live oak trees, pointing left (north) to Loris and right (south) to Myrtle Beach:
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Karners, Jan. 2017
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Some of the leaves from that same tree are visible at far right in this photo, which was taken looking north on Main:
Karners, Jan. 2017
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The east beginning of US 378 is to the left on 3rd. Travelers who correctly guess which direction they need to go are soon rewarded with a sighting of the first westbound marker:
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Karners, Jan. 2017
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Research and/or photo credits: David Dawson; Brent Ivy; Karin and Martin Karner; Steven Nelson; Alex Nitzman; Adam Prince; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Charles Turner
Page originally created 2001;
last updated Dec. 7, 2023.
last updated Dec. 7, 2023.
