End of US highway 78 |
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Summa
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Summa
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Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 727 miles for US 78... however, that included the mileage of US 78's associated business routes. According to the state subtotals on AASHTO's 1989 spreadsheet, mainline US 78's actual end-to-end total at the time was 715 miles. That is reasonably close to our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 700.8 miles (reroutings and realignments likely explain the difference).
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1926-present
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US 78 was an original 1926 route, and it is one of the few whose endpoints have not changed over the years (at least not significantly). However, the route is poorly-signed at both of its termini. The west end of US 78 is in Memphis. Recent TNDoT maps indicate the terminus is still on Linden Avenue at 2nd Street, which is essentially the same endpoint shown on this 1940 map, except at the time 3rd Street was used for both northbound and southbound traffic (rather than the 2nd/3rd one-way couplet used today):
c. 1940, Rand McNally
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This photo was taken looking south on 2nd. The intention here may have been for the US 78 marker to have a left arrow (not a straight-ahead arrow), because that route begins to the left on Linden, which is visible in the distance:
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Sanderson, Oct. 2007
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If a driver is alert enough to make that left turn on Linden, they will see the first confirming marker about four blocks to the east:
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Sanderson, Oct. 2007
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That was at the Turley Street intersection; Danny Thomas is a block ahead. (On the far side of Danny Thomas is the first US 78 assembly that includes an "East" tab.) Note also in the foreground the zero mile-marker for TN 278. It is doubtful that the route's beginning is exactly there; more likely it begins at the same place US 78 does.
Heading the opposite direction (west on US 78), the route is not signed all the way to its terminus. This photo was looking west on Crump Boulevard: |
Sanderson, Oct. 2007
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US 78 traffic is directed to the north on East Street, but that is the last mention of the route. After three or four blocks, US 78 should turn west again on Linden, but there is no signage for that turn, nor is there any US 78 signage at all before reaching its endpoint. This photo was looking west on Linden at 2nd, where the US 78 designation officially ends:
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Sanderson, Oct. 2007
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The east end of US 78 is in Charleston. Traffic winds up on King Street, but signage is very poor. One of the few US 78 signs anywhere near the terminus is shown here:
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Karners, Apr. 2014 (unchanged since at least 2006)
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Romney Street has an exit from northbound I-26. At the end of the offramp, US 78 is directed to the west on Romney, and then the sign above is posted where Romney intersects King. US 78 continues about 14 blocks south from there, passes under the US 17 viaducts, and ends at Line Street (which carried US 17 traffic before modern US 17 was built). This photo was looking south on King:
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Karners, Apr. 2014 (unchanged since at least 2006)
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Since King has no direct access to US 17, traffic is directed to the left on Line, then left again on Meeting Street (which is US 52, and is equally unsigned). US 78 officially ends at Line, and sometime after May 2013, a new "End" assembly was posted:
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Karners, Apr. 2014
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Historically, US 78 continued a block or two past Line, ending at Columbus or Spring during different times (photos and more info on the Charleston page, which includes historic maps of the city).
Heading the opposite direction (north on King), drivers do not see US 78 reassurance signage until they have driven for about a mile-and-a-half: |
Dawson, Sep. 2001
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Karners, Apr. 2014
Those were looking north on King at Mt. Pleasant Street; cars behind the I-26 assembly are on US 52 (Meeting).
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Research and/or photo credits: Justin Cozart; David Dawson; Karin and Martin Karner; Alex Nitzman; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2002;
last updated Oct. 26, 2021.
last updated Oct. 26, 2021.
