U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west
United States Highway in the
Southeastern United States that runs from western
Mississippi to southern
Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between
Pensacola and
Apalachicola, Florida, and has since been extended westward into
Mississippi and eastward across the Florida Peninsula. It runs along much of the
Gulf Coast between
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
, and
Crystal River, Florida, including extensive sections closely following the coast between Mobile and
St. Marks, Florida
St. Marks is a city in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area. The population was 293 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 319.
Geography
St. Marks ...
. The highway's western terminus is with
US 84 in
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...
. Its eastern terminus is
Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...
, at
State Road A1A
State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road through m ...
(SR A1A) near the
Mar-a-Lago 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 on the
Mississippi Gulf Coast, increasing road capacity for hurricane evacuations. At
Hattiesburg, an interchange with
U.S. Route 49
U.S. Route 49 (US 49) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/ Highway 1/ Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). Its southern terminus is ...
provides four-laned access to
Gulfport (to the south) and
Jackson (to the north). The road continues west from its intersection with U.S. 49 to
Interstate 59 at Exit 59, with which it is concurrent through Exit 65 (Hardy Street). The highway runs westward through
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
before meeting
U.S. 51 in
McComb. It then joins
Interstate 55 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 in
Meadville at
US 84.
U.S. 98 serves as a primary hurricane evacuation route in southern Mississippi, connecting cities along the
Mississippi Sound 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. US 90 and 98 junction
I-10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
at Daphne on the
eastern shore Eastern Shore may refer to:
* Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia), a region
* Eastern Shore (electoral district), a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia
* Eastern Shore of Maryland, a region
* Eastern Shore of Virginia, a region
* Eastern Shore (Al ...
of
Mobile Bay, 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
The Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge carrying US 90/ US 98 Truck across the Mobile River from the mainland to Blakeley Island in Mobile, Alabama.
History
The Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge was completed a ...
, co-signed with US 90. Passenger car traffic passes directly into town under the Mobile River via the
Bankhead Tunnel
The Bankhead Tunnel, formally the John H. Bankhead Tunnel, is a road tunnel in Mobile, Alabama that carries Government Street under the Mobile River from Blakeley Island to the downtown Mobile business district.
"Mobile City Guide" (map, land ...
. Once the truck route rejoins the main route in downtown Mobile, US 98 assumes a northwestward trajectory, and enters
Mississippi near the community of
Wilmer in western
Mobile County. US 98 is the southern terminus of two major U.S. highways:
US 31, 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 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 (where Mobile gets its municipal water supply) and its surrounding wetlands.
Florida
Within Florida, US 98 is marked as an east–west road from the Alabama-Florida border to
Perry. Throughout the rest of the state, the road is marked as a north–south road.
Concurrencies include
US 441
U.S. Route 441 (US 441) is a auxiliary route of U.S. Route 41. It extends from US 41 in Miami, Florida to US 25W in Rocky Top, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 travels through the states of Florida, Georgia, North ...
from
Royal Palm Beach to Okeechobee,
US 27
U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I-69) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. F ...
from South Sebring to West Frostproof,
US 17 from Fort Meade to Bartow,
US 301 from Clinton Heights to Moss Town,
SR 50 from Ridge Manor to Brooksville,
SR 50A then
US 41 in Brooksville,
US 19 from Chassahowitzka to Perry,
ALT US 27 from Chiefland to Perry,
US 319
U.S. Route 319 (US 319) is a spur of US 19. It runs for from the foot of the John Gorrie Memorial Bridge across from downtown Apalachicola, Florida to US 1/ SR 4 in Wadley, Georgia, through the Panhandle of Florida and the southern portion of Ge ...
in Medart and from St. Theresa to Port St. Joe, and
US 90 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 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
Pensacola 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
Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...
. In 1999, the western end of US 98 was truncated to its intersection with
US 84 at
Meadville, Mississippi, although it continued to be signed concurrently with US 84 to
Washington, Mississippi
Washington is an unincorporated community in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Located along the lower Mississippi, east of Natchez, it was the second and longest-serving capital of the Mississippi Territory.
History
This area along t ...
until 2008.
[Dale Sanderson]
End of US highway 98
at USEnds.com
Major intersections
;Mississippi
: in
Meadville.
: in
Summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
. The highways travel concurrently to
McComb.
: in McComb
: in
Hattiesburg. The highways travel concurrently to south of Hattiesburg.
: in Hattiesburg
: in Hattiesburg
;Alabama
: in
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 ...
: 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
Pensacola. The highways travel concurrently through Pensacola.
: in Pensacola
: in Pensacola
: southeast of
Santa Rosa Beach
Santa Rosa Beach is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Walton County, Florida, Walton County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Santa R ...
: in
Panama City
: 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
Perry. US 19/US 98 travels concurrently to northeast of
Chassahowitzka.
: in Perry
: in
Chiefland
: in
Brooksville. The highways travel concurrently through Brooksville.
: west-northwest of
Ridge Manor
: in
Lacoochee
Lacoochee is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,345 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Lacoochee is located at (28.463248, -82.171774).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP ...
. The highways travel concurrently to south of
Dade City.
: in
Lakeland
: in Lakeland
: in
Bartow. The highways travel concurrently to
Fort Meade.
: east of
West Frostproof. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of
Spring Lake.
: in
Okeechobee. The highways travel concurrently to
Royal Palm Beach.
: in
West Palm Beach
: 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
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
and
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The city popu ...
.
Special and suffixed routes
*
U.S. Route 98 Business in
Pensacola, Florida
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 ...
*''
U.S. Route 98 Toll'' from
Pensacola, Florida
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 ...
to
Navarre, Florida
*''
U.S. Route 98 Bypass'' in
Panama City Beach, Florida
*
U.S. Route 98 Alternate in
Panama City Beach, Florida
*
U.S. Route 98 Business in
Panama City, Florida
*
U.S. Route 98 Truck in
Brooksville, Florida
Brooksville is a city in western Florida and the county seat of Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719, up from 7,264 at the 2000 census. Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residence ...
*''
U.S. Route 98 Truck'' in
Dade City, Florida
*''
U.S. Route 98 Business'' in
Dade City, Florida
*''
U.S. Route 98 Business'' in
Lakeland, Florida
*''
U.S. Route 98 Business'' in
Bartow, Florida
Bartow ( ) is the county seat of Polk County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1851 as Fort Blount, the city was renamed in honor of Francis S. Bartow, the first brigade commander of the Confederate Army to die in combat during the American C ...
*U.S Route 98 Alternate in Fairhope, Alabama
References
External links
Endpoints of U.S. Highway 98
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