US 278 in Alabama

US 278 is a US Highway in the US state of Alabama. The road forms an east-west route through the northern half of the state, connecting the Mississippi border via Hamilton, Cullman, and Gadsden to the Georgia border. The route is 309 kilometers long.

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Travel directions

US 278 near Addison in Winston County.

Near the village of Sulligent, US 278 in Mississippi crosses the Alabama border from Tupelo, then heads east through hilly and densely forested areas. You soon reach the intersection with US 43, which comes from Tuscaloosa. Both roads are then double-numbered and run to the north. At Hamilton one crosses the Interstate 22, the highway from Memphis to Birmingham. Shortly after, US 278 turns east, and US 43 continues straight toward Florence. One then passes through a wooded area, the William B. Bankhead National Forest. The area is slightly hilly and you barely pass through villages. One does cross the Lewis Smith Lake, a reservoir with numerous side arms. After about 110 kilometers you reach the town of Cullman. First, it crosses Interstate 65, the highway from Birmingham to Nashville, and then US 31, which runs parallel to I-65. It also crosses the SR-157, the 2×2 main road to Florence. After Cullman the area is clearly less densely forested, with many open plains and after about 30 kilometers the US 231 crosses, the road from Pell City to Huntsville in the north. Then you arrive in a much more hilly area, with steep ridges. Here you first cross US 431, the road from Anniston to Huntsville, and then US 11, which runs parallel to Interstate 59, the highway from Birmingham to Chattanooga. Then the road runs through the 37,000 inhabitants town of Gadsden. One crosses US 411 here, which comes from Birmingham and runs to Rome in Georgia. The road then continues east through the Talladega National Forest, before reaching the Georgia border after more than 30 miles. US 278 in Georgia then continues to Atlanta.

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History

US 278 at Brooksville.

US 278 was added to the network of US Highways in 1951 and ran from Tupelo, Mississippi to Guin, Alabama. It was therefore only a short route that passed less than 35 kilometers through the far west of Alabama. In 1954, US 278 was extended through Alabama and Georgia to Augusta.

In 1965, a shortening of the route was implemented in the western part of the state. US 278 originally ran from Hamilton via Haleyville to Double Springs, a detour north. In 1965 this route was straightened over a former state route, directly from Hamilton to Double Springs.

Hardly any upgrades have been made to US 278. At Cullman and Gadsden, short stretches of several miles have been widened into a 2×2 divided highway, but elsewhere US 278 has remained a single-lane road. Circa 1992, a short two-mile stretch over a ridge near Brooksville was widened to 2×2 lanes. Around 1997-1998, a stretch of 6 kilometers east of Cullman was widened to 2×2 lanes. Around 2002, a 7-kilometer-long new 2×2 lane route was constructed between Gadsden and Hokes Bluff.

Traffic intensities

Every day 2,400 vehicles drive near the Mississippi border, which hardly varies up to Cullman, mostly between 2,000 and 3,500 vehicles. Only the last stretch to Cullman is a bit busier with 9,000 vehicles. Between Cullman and Gadsen, 6,000 to 7,000 vehicles run, rising to a maximum of 38,000 vehicles on the bridge over the Coosa River in downtown Gadsden. There are 3,500 vehicles east of Gadsden.

Mobile River Bridge

The Mobile River Bridge was a planned cable- stayed bridge in the US state of Alabama. The bridge would become part of Interstate 10 in Alabama and would span the Mobile River near the city of the same name. The project was canceled in 2019.

Characteristics

The Mobile River Bridge was planned as a cable-stayed bridge with bridges, with a total length of 4,506 meters. The main bridge (suspension bridge) would have two pylons and a total length of 823 meters, with a main span of 381 meters and two identical side spans of 221 meters, with a layout of 221 + 381 + 221 meters. The bridge deck would be 66 meters above the Mobile River, making the bridge significantly higher than other bridges over sea along the American south coast.

The bridge was planned just south of the current George Wallace Tunnel. The bridge would also divert Interstate 10 over a slightly more northerly route, connecting on the east side to the Jubilee Parkway that spans Mobile Bay. The bridge itself was planned to be 2×3 lanes, the Jubilee Parkway was to be expanded to 2×4 lanes.

History

The intention to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) was announced on October 30, 2003. On July 7, 2014, the draft environmental impact statement (D-EIS – draft route decision) for the bridge was approved. Over the next 5 years, the project progressed slowly due to political disagreements, particularly over the level of tolls. Ultimately, on August 28, 2019, it was decided to remove the bridge from the transport plans.

Traffic intensities

It is estimated that by 2030, 131,000 vehicles would use the bridge daily.