Length 184.4 km | ||
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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.
Contents
Map of MS-178, Mississippi, USA
History
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 1940's) 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 1940's 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.