Mississippi Highway 178

Mississippi Highway 178 (MS 178), or simply "Old 78", is a state highway maintained by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. It is the former alignment of U.S. Route 78, used from the 1940s until the 1990s. With the exception of a break at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway at Fulton, MS 178 is a complete route from Memphis, Tennessee, to the Alabama state line.

Mississippi Highway 178
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 78
Maintained by MDOT
Length	119.1 mi[1] (191.7 km)
Western segment
Length	105.2 mi (169.3 km)
West end	Old Highway 78 at the Tennessee state line
Major junctions	MS 4 / MS 7 in Holly Springs I-22 / US 78 in Hickory Flat MS 5 / MS 705 in Hickory Flat MS 15 / MS 30 in New Albany MS 9 in Blue Springs I-22 / US 78 in Tupelo US 45 / MS 6 in Tupelo I-22 / US 78 in West Fulton
East end	dirt road at the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway
Eastern segment
Length	13.9 mi (22.4 km)
West end	Access Road in Fulton (at the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway)
Major junctions	MS 25 near Fulton MS 23 in Tremont
East end	Dead end near the Alabama state line
Location
Counties	Desoto, Marshall, Benton, Union, Pontotoc, Lee, Itawamba
Highway system
Mississippi State Highway System Interstate U.S. State ← MS 172 → MS 182

History

Highway 178 in Tremont

MS 178 closely parallels both the current US 78 and the old Bankhead Highway, a macadam highway designated as part of US 78 in 1926, and used from then until the 1930s. In the 1940s, the Mississippi portion of US 78 was upgraded to a uniform two-lane highway, In some Mississippi towns, such as New Albany, the "new" US 78 routing followed the old Bankhead Highway, and thus became part of MS 178.

In some parts of North Mississippi, "Bankhead Road" or "Bankhead Street" identifies sections of the original (pre 1940s) US 78 highway.

In the 1980s US 78 began to be upgraded further, albeit in stages, into a four-lane, interstate-style route, bypassing parts of the original 1940s US 78 alignment. For instance, in 1990, the Mississippi portion of US 78 followed the 1940s two-lane from the Alabama state line to the Clay community, then joined four-lane US 78 to New Albany, reverted to the 1940s two-lane from New Albany to Holly Springs, then four-lane from Holly Springs to Memphis. By 2000, the entire length of US 78 in Mississippi was four-lane, and parts of old US 78 were reconditioned for use as MS 178.

In Mississippi, unlike Alabama or Tennessee, MS 178 and US 78 are totally separate routes.

The Elvis Connection

Although it is true the Presley family used US 78 to travel from Tupelo to Memphis, the current routing of US 78 was not the one used. In order to recreate the actual route used to make the move, MS 178 is the route used, as it was the main highway used in 1948.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Mississippi–Tennessee line		0.00	0.00	Yahweh Road	Western terminus; road continues into Memphis, Tennessee, as Old Highway 78
Desoto	Olive Branch	2.9	4.7	To MS 305 south / Westbranch Road
Marshall	Byhalia	13.2	21.2	MS 703 east (Church Street)	Western terminus of MS 703
		13.7	22.0	MS 309
		14.8	23.8	MS 703 west (Quinn Mill Road)	Eastern terminus of MS 703
	Holly Springs	26.1– 26.2	42.0– 42.2	To US 78 / Landfill Road	Partial cloverleaf interchange; former MS 4/MS 7
		28.9	46.5	MS 7 north (N Memphis Street)	Western end of MS 7 concurrency
		29.6	47.6	MS 4 west / MS 7 south (W Van Dorn Avenue) to US 78	Eastern end of MS 7 concurrency; western end of MS 4 concurrency
		29.9	48.1	MS 4 east (Randolph Street)	Eastern end of MS 4 concurrency
	Potts Camp	42.3	68.1	MS 701 east (Mulberry Street)	Western terminus of MS 701
		42.4	68.2	MS 349 south (Center Street)	Northern terminus of MS 349
		42.7	68.7	MS 701 west (Front Avenue)	Eastern terminus of MS 701
Benton	Hickory Flat	48.6– 48.8	78.2– 78.5	I-22 / US 78 – Memphis, Tupelo	I-22 exit 48; Diamond interchange.
		49.4	79.5	MS 705 east (Wolf Street)	Western terminus of MS 705
		49.8	80.1	MS 5 north / MS 705 west (Crum Street)	Southern terminus of MS 5; eastern terminus of MS 705
Union	Myrtle	56.1	90.3	MS 761 north (Springdale Avenue)	Southern terminus of MS 761
	New Albany	64.9	104.4	MS 15 / MS 30 to I-22 – Oxford, Pontotoc, Blue Mountain
	Blue Springs	74.1	119.3	MS 9
Pontotoc	Sherman	77.5	124.7	MS 778 west	Eastern terminus of MS 778
Lee	Tupelo	81.9– 82.1	131.8– 132.1	I-22 / US 78 – Memphis, Birmingham	I-22 exit 81; diamond interchange
		85.9– 86.2	138.2– 138.7	Natchez Trace Parkway	Interchange
		86.5– 86.6	139.2– 139.4	Country Club Road	Diamond interchange
		87.0– 87.2	140.0– 140.3	MS 145 north (Gloster Street)	Western end of MS 145 concurrency; partial cloverleaf interchange
		88.2	141.9	MS 145 south (Gloster Street)	Eastern end of MS 145 concurrency
		88.7	142.7	MS 769 (Green Street)
		89.4– 89.5	143.9– 144.0	US 45 / MS 6 west – Corinth, Pontotoc, Columbus	Western end of MS 6 concurrency; diamond interchange
		90.2	145.2	MS 6 east (Briar Ridge Road) – Plantersville, Nettleton	Eastern end of MS 6 concurrency
	Mooreville	96.3	155.0	MS 371
Itawamba	West Fulton	102.9– 103.1	165.6– 165.9	I-22 / US 78 – Fulton, Birmingham, Tupelo	I-22 exit 101; diamond interchange
		103.4	166.4	MS 363 north – Mantachie	Southern terminus
		105.2	169.3	dirt road	Eastern terminus of western section
	Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway
	Fulton	105.2	169.3	Access Road	Western terminus of eastern section
	​	110.9	178.5	MS 25 – Amory, Belmont, Iuka
	Tremont	115.3	185.6	MS 23 north – Red Bay Ala.	Western end of MS 23 concurrency
		115.7	186.2	MS 23 south to US 78 – Smithville	Eastern end of MS 23 concurrency
	​	119.1	191.7	Harbor Road	Eastern terminus; Old Highway 78 closed beyond this point
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

•  Mississippi portal
•  U.S. Roads portal

References

1. Mississippi Department of Transportation Planning Division (December 31, 2011). Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics Extent, Travel, and Designation (PDF) (Report). Mississippi Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.