U.S. Route 78 in Arkansas

U.S. Highway 78 (US 78) is an east–west highway in northeast Arkansas. The road largely runs concurrently with Interstate 55 (I-55) within the state.

US 78 begins at interchange with I-57/US 67 at exit 102 near Swifton where the roadway continues as AR 226 west toward Swifton. US 78/AR 226 then intersects Arkansas Highway 18 (AR 18) just south of the Cash Central Business District. The two highways then have an intersection with AR 226 southwest of Gilkerson before beginning to run concurrently with US 49 and US 63 east-northeast of Gibson. AR 226 then leaves US 49/US 63/US 78 in Jonesboro. Still in the city limits of Jonesboro, US 49/US 78 then meets I-555/AR 18; this is the point where US 63 splits from US 49/US 78, while US 49/US 78 begins to run concurrently with I-555. I-555/US 49/US 78 then intersects AR 1B (Harrisburg Road). I-555/US 78 then has an interchange in Jonesboro; it serves AR 1 (Stadium Boulevard/Red Wolf Boulevard) and Caraway Road. After meeting AR 463 and Nettleton Avenue, US 78 then splits from I-555 at exit 39. About 1.21 miles (1.95 km) down the road, US 78 meets AR 18 again, this time the two highways run concurrently to Blytheville.

US 78/AR 18 intersects AR 158 and AR 135 in Lake City. US 78/AR 18 then passes through the communities of Black Oak, Monette, Leachville, Manila, Wilson Junction, Dell, and finally Blytheville. In Blytheville, US 78/AR 18 intersects AR 151, US 61, AR 239, and I-55. At I-55, US 78 ends its concurrency with AR 18; US 78 travels concurrently with I-55 south to Memphis, Tennessee, while AR 18 continues straight towards Armorel.

Prior to November 2023, US 78 formerly ended at US 64/US 70/US 79 (Second Street) in Memphis, Tennessee. On October 25, 2023, the Arkansas Highway Commission voted unanimously to extend the US 78 designation into northeast Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), the US 78 designation would be extended along several other routes from its former western terminus in Memphis across the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge to its newer current western terminus near Swifton, Arkansas, at US 67 (before I-57 was designated at that time). The route would be cosigned along portions of US 64, US 70, US 79, I-55, US 61, I-40, AR 18, AR 18S, I-555, US 49, US 63, and AR 226. This extension of the US 78 route designation was seen as a way to boost economic growth in the region by assigning a single route number for travelers to follow.^[1][2] The extension was approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in November 2023.^[3]

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