U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west

United States Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

that runs from western

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

to southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It was established in 1933 as a route between

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

and

Apalachicola, Florida Apalachicola ( ) is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. History The Apalachicola people, after ...

, and has since been extended westward into

and eastward across the Florida Peninsula. It runs along much of the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

between Mobile, Alabama, and Crystal River, Florida, including extensive sections closely following the coast between Mobile and St. Marks, Florida. The highway's western terminus is with US 84 in Natchez, Mississippi. Its eastern terminus is Palm Beach, Florida, at State Road A1A (SR A1A) near the

Mar-a-Lago Mar-a-Lago ( from the Spanish for ''sea to lake'') is a resort and national historic landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, owned by former U.S. president Donald Trump. Trump acquired Mar-a-Lago in 1985 and referred to it as his "Winter White House ...

resort.

Route description

U.S. 98's western terminus is in Mississippi, and its eastern terminus is in Florida. Much of its route through Alabama and Florida falls within coastal counties.

Mississippi

U.S. 98 enters the state from the southeast and immediately widens to four lanes. It bypasses Lucedale to the north, and an interchange with Mississippi Highway 63 provides four-laned access to

Pascagoula The Pascagoula (also Pascoboula, Pacha-Ogoula, Pascagola, Pascaboula, Paskaguna) were an indigenous group living in coastal Mississippi on the Pascagoula River. The name ''Pascagoula'' is a Mobilian Jargon term meaning "bread people". Choctaw ...

on the

Mississippi Gulf Coast The Mississippi Gulf Coast, also known as Mississippi Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast region, Coastal Mississippi, and The Coast, is the area of Mississippi along the Mississippi Sound at the northern extreme of the Gulf of Mexico. Geography At th ...

, increasing road capacity for hurricane evacuations. At Hattiesburg, an interchange with U.S. Route 49 provides four-laned access to Gulfport (to the south) and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

(to the north). The road continues west from its intersection with U.S. 49 to

Interstate 59 Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia. ...

at Exit 59, with which it is concurrent through Exit 65 (Hardy Street). The highway runs westward through Columbia before meeting U.S. 51 in McComb. It then joins

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

from Exit 15 (South McComb) to Exit 20 (Summit). The last remaining two-laned section of U.S. 98 in Mississippi then runs northwestward to its terminus near

Bude Bude (; kw, Porthbud) is a seaside town in north east Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Bude-Stratton and at the mouth of the River Neet (also known locally as the River Strat). It was sometimes formerly known as Bude Haven.''Corn ...

in Meadville at US 84. U.S. 98 serves as a primary hurricane evacuation route in southern Mississippi, connecting cities along the

Mississippi Sound The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about . The sound is sepa ...

to inland destinations further north. The Mississippi section of U.S. 98 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Alabama

In Alabama, US 98 is paired with unsigned State Route 42 (SR 42). The route enters Alabama from the east near Lillian in rural Baldwin County. At Daphne, US 98 begins a concurrency with

US 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-live ...

. US 90 and 98 junction I-10 at Daphne on the eastern shore of

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...

, then again on the western side of the bay as they enter downtown

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

. As the two routes approach the Mobile River, US 98 is split into two routes, with a US 98 Truck route crossing the Mobile River via the Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge, co-signed with US 90. Passenger car traffic passes directly into town under the Mobile River via the Bankhead Tunnel. Once the truck route rejoins the main route in downtown Mobile, US 98 assumes a northwestward trajectory, and enters

near the community of Wilmer in western

Mobile County Mobile County ( ) is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the second most-populous county in the state after Jefferson County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 414,809. Its county seat is Mobile, wh ...

. US 98 is the southern terminus of two major U.S. highways:

US 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. It ...

, at Spanish Fort, and US 45 in Mobile. The safety of the route, or the lack thereof, has earned the road the nickname "Bloody 98". A plan to remediate the problem has not been adopted, and is hampered by the financial damage imposed to road repairs by higher vehicle fuel efficiency (as gas taxes largely go to road repair) and the diversion of roadway funds to other projects like greenways and public transportation. Also,

environmentalists An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

have gone to court on numerous occasions to block proposals to turn the stretch of US 98 from the Alabama–Mississippi line to the town of Semmes, Alabama, into a four-lane, fearing that construction runoff would cause contamination of

Big Creek Lake Big Creek Lake (or ''Converse Reservoir'') is a municipal reservoir which serves as the main source of drinking water for the city of Mobile, Alabama and its suburbs. It was formed by the damming of Big Creek, a tributary of the Escatawpa River in ...

(where Mobile gets its municipal water supply) and its surrounding wetlands.

Florida

US98eFL80eRoadEnd-A1AnsRoundabout (31869114493)

Within Florida, US 98 is marked as an east–west road from the Alabama-Florida border to

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

. Throughout the rest of the state, the road is marked as a north–south road. Concurrencies include US 441 from

Royal Palm Beach Royal Palm Beach is a village in southeast Florida, located within Palm Beach County. The population was measured at 34,140 in the 2010 census. It is part of the Miami Metropolitan Area. Despite its name, the village is located approximately fift ...

to Okeechobee, US 27 from South Sebring to West Frostproof, US 17 from Fort Meade to Bartow,

US 301 U.S. Route 301 (US 301) is a spur of U.S. Route 1 running through the South Atlantic States. It runs from Biddles Corner, Delaware at Delaware Route 1 to Sarasota, Florida at U.S. Route 41. It passes through the states of Delaware, Mar ...

from Clinton Heights to Moss Town, SR 50 from Ridge Manor to Brooksville, SR 50A then

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

in Brooksville,

US 19 U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie. The highway's souther ...

from Chassahowitzka to Perry, ALT US 27 from Chiefland to Perry, US 319 in Medart and from St. Theresa to Port St. Joe, and

in Pensacola. The hidden designation for most of US 98 across the panhandle of the state of Florida is State Route 30. Between Chassahowitzka and Palm Beach, the hidden designation is State Route 700. There is a 60 mph speed limit east of

Tyndall Air Force Base Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

outside of Panama City all the way to Perry.

History

US 98 was first commissioned in 1934. At that time, its entire route was within Florida, traveling from

to Apalachicola. In 1952, the eastern end was extended to its present terminus in Palm Beach, Florida. In 1955, the western terminus was extended westward to Natchez, Mississippi. In 1999, the western end of US 98 was truncated to its intersection with US 84 at

Meadville, Mississippi Meadville is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Mississippi, United States, in the southwest part of the state. The population was 449 at the 2010 census, down from 519 at the 2000 census. It is situated north of the Homochitto Riv ...

, although it continued to be signed concurrently with US 84 to Washington, Mississippi until 2008.Dale Sanderson
End of US highway 98
at USEnds.com

Major intersections

;Mississippi : in Meadville. : in Summit. The highways travel concurrently to McComb. : in McComb : in Hattiesburg. The highways travel concurrently to south of Hattiesburg. : in Hattiesburg : in Hattiesburg ;Alabama : in

: in Mobile : in Mobile. The highways travel concurrently through Mobile. : in Mobile. The highways travel concurrently to Spanish Fort. : in Mobile : in Spanish Fort : in Daphne. US 90/US 98 travels concurrently through Daphne. ;Florida : in

. The highways travel concurrently through Pensacola. : in Pensacola : in Pensacola : southeast of Santa Rosa Beach : in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

: east of Apalachicola. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of St. Teresa. : in Medart. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Medart. : in

. US 19/US 98 travels concurrently to northeast of Chassahowitzka. : in Perry : in

Chiefland Chiefland is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2020 census. Chiefland calls itself the "Gem of the Suwannee Valley" and was incorporated in 1929. History A village of the Timucua people was once locat ...

: in Brooksville. The highways travel concurrently through Brooksville. : west-northwest of Ridge Manor : in Lacoochee. The highways travel concurrently to south of

Dade City Dade City is a city in and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census. Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants, and h ...

. : in Lakeland : in Lakeland : in Bartow. The highways travel concurrently to

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the ...

. : east of West Frostproof. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of Spring Lake. : in Okeechobee. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

: in West Palm Beach : in Palm Beach

In popular culture

Blue Mountain recorded a song titled "Bloody 98," specifically referring to a two-laned section of the highway between Mobile, Alabama and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Special and suffixed routes

* U.S. Route 98 Business in Pensacola, Florida *'' U.S. Route 98 Toll'' from Pensacola, Florida to

Navarre, Florida Navarre is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County, Florida, Santa Rosa County in the northwest Florida Panhandle. It is a major commuter town, bedroom community for mostly United States Armed Forces, U.S. m ...

*'' U.S. Route 98 Bypass'' in

Panama City Beach, Florida Panama City Beach is a resort town in Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 12,018. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of "Panama City". Panama City Bea ...

* U.S. Route 98 Alternate in

* U.S. Route 98 Business in

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It is the more populated city of the Panama City–Lynn ...

* U.S. Route 98 Truck in Brooksville, Florida *'' U.S. Route 98 Truck'' in

Dade City, Florida Dade City is a city in and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census. Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants, and ...

*'' U.S. Route 98 Business'' in

*'' U.S. Route 98 Business'' in Lakeland, Florida *'' U.S. Route 98 Business'' in Bartow, Florida *U.S Route 98 Alternate in Fairhope, Alabama

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 98
{{s-end 98 98 98 098