U.S. Route 78 (US 78) is a major east–west U.S. Highway across the central part of Alabama. It is internally designated State Route 4 (SR 4) by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), though the only section of SR 4 that is signed is along portions mainly west of Jasper. The section from the Mississippi state line to near Graysville is concurrent with Interstate 22 (I-22); from Graysville south to Birmingham, US 78 takes its original routing. East of Birmingham to the Georgia state line, US 78 has been replaced as a major through-route by I-20. The two routes roughly parallel each other, with junctions at Leeds and Pell City.^[1][2]

Quick Facts Route information, Existed ...

U.S. Route 78
State Route 4
US 78 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ALDOT
Existed	1926–present
Major junctions
West end	I-22 / US 78 at the Mississippi state line
Major intersections	US 43 in Hamilton I-22 in Graysville I-20 / I-59 in Birmingham US 11 in Birmingham I-65 in Birmingham I-20 in Leeds US 411 in Leeds I-20 in Pell City US 231 in Pell City US 431 in Oxford
East end	US 78 at the Georgia state line
Location
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Marion, Walker, Jefferson, Saint Clair, Talladega, Calhoun, Cleburne
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Alabama State Highway System Interstate US State
← SR 77 → SR 79
← SR 3 SR 4 → SR 5

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West of Jasper, old US 78 is signed as SR 118 to Guin, and the segment from Guin northward to I-22 at Hamilton is signed as US 43/US 278.

US 78 was formed in 1926 along most of its current route; at the time, it was signed as SR 51, most of SR 8, SR 40, and a part of SR 4.^[3] US 78N (former SR 8) and US 78S (former SR 4) were also formed between Heflin, Alabama and Villa Rica, Georgia.^[4][5] With a revised system of state routes in 1928, US 78 and US 78N were coupled with SR 4, while US 78S was coupled with SR 46.^[6] In 1934, in an effort to abandon almost all suffixed U.S. Routes,^[7] US 78S was renumbered to US 78 Alt., while US 78N became part of US 78.^[8]

The routing of US 78 in the Birmingham area has changed several times over the years. Prior to 1941, US 78 traveled along 16th Avenue Thomas before turning south along present-day US 78. The route then traveled east along 12th Avenue W, Bankhead Highway, then south along 3rd Street N, and then east along 8th Avenue N.^[9] The routing changed in 1941 to travel further along 8th Street W near Birmingham-Southern College and then turn east along 8th Avenue W, passing on the north side of historic Legion Field.^[10] Before the early 1950s, US 78 east followed a two-lane road through the heart of Graysville (Main Street) and then shared the current four-lane road until Adamsville when it became Main Street once again and then became Forestdale Boulevard near the present interchange of US 78 and Minor Parkway. The original route crossed US 78 and became Pratt Highway, which goes into the old steel mill community of Pratt City and then into Birmingham. Construction of a 4-lane routing led to a realignment of US 78. Also, US 78 was rerouted onto 3rd Avenue S east of downtown Birmingham.^[11]

In 1953, US 78 was rerouted south to bypass Anniston; part of the old alignment became SR 202.^[12][13] In 1957, SR 4 was rerouted north between Hamilton and Jasper to serve Natural Bridge and other towns along SR 5 and the newly extended US 278.^[14] By 1972, US 78 was rerouted to enter/exit I-20 at Cooks Springs instead of Moody.^[15]