U.S. Route 82 is an east–west United States highway in the southern United States. What started as a 1932 addition to the system across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas eventually became a 1,609 mile (2,589 km) route extending from the White Sands of New Mexico to Georgia's Atlantic coast.

The highway's eastern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 95. It is co-signed for its last half mile with U.S. Route 17. Its western terminus is in Alamogordo, New Mexico at an intersection with U.S. Route 54 and U.S. Route 70.

US 82 begins at an intersection with US highways 54 and 70 north of Alamogordo, near La Luz. Heading east out of Alamogordo the road immediately passes through La Luz and begins a steep ascent into the Sacramento Mountains, traveling through the Lincoln National Forest. While ascending steep Mexican Canyon, the highway passes the abandoned railroad trestles of the El Paso and Northeastern Railway, and passes through a former railway tunnel which is one of New Mexico's few road tunnels. The road then traverses the villages of High Rolls, Mayhill and Cloudcroft. After descending the mountains into the rugged, flat plains of eastern New Mexico, it generally follows a north-northeasterly bearing until Artesia, where it takes a more due-easterly bearing on through to Lovington, veering back slightly to the north before crossing into Texas.

US 82 crosses into Texas from New Mexico at Texas Farm to Market Road 769, turning northeastward toward Plains, where it merges with US 380. US 82 is co-signed with US 380 from Plains to Brownfield, where it joins US 62, and US 380 leaves the route. US 82/62 continues northeastward toward Lubbock.

In Lubbock, US 82 and US 62 split, where US 82 is being upgraded to a full access freeway, to be named the Marsha Sharp Freeway, in honor of retired Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball coach Marsha Sharp. On the east side of the city, it once again merges with US 62 (along with State Highway 114) where it continues eastward through Ralls, where US 62 makes a sharp turn to the north and leaves the route. US 82 continues eastward across the level plains of the Llano Estacado to Crosbyton and then dips downward as it crosses the White River of Blanco Canyon, where the Texas Department of Transportation maintains the Silver Falls Rest Area with facilities and hiking trails. After climbing out of Blanco Canyon, US 82 eventually exits the Llano Estacado and enters the rolling plains near Dickens, Texas.

US 82/SH 114 continues eastward as a co-signed route until Seymour, where it merges with U.S. Highways 183, 277 and 283, with US 183 and 283 leaving the route at Mabelle. US 82/277 continues eastward to Wichita Falls, merging with US 287 just south of downtown. US 82 leaves US 287 at Henrietta and continues east, signed independently (apart from various state highway routes) across the remainder of Texas, crossing into Arkansas in downtown Texarkana.

US 82 enters Arkansas in downtown Texarkana, then proceeds almost due east across the flat plains of the Red River. It crosses the Red River at Garland City on a new bridge, then passes through the towns of Lewisville and Magnolia. At Magnolia the route joins US 79 for approximately two miles before continuing eastward. The route passes through the cities of El Dorado and Strong before crossing the Ouachita River just north of Lake Jack Lee, then continues through Crossett and Hamburg to Lake Village. The route continues from there across the Mississippi river to Greenville, MS.

Through the entire state, the highway is four-laned with interchanges at major junctions. After crossing the Mississippi River from Arkansas via the new four-laned, cable-stayed Mississippi River bridge, the road briefly travels northeast toward central Greenville, then turns east to Columbus, passing through Indianola, Greenwood, Winona, and Starkville, while bypassing Itta Bena.

According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation's website www.gomdot.com, construction is now underway on a U.S. 82 bypass around Greenville. The new road will commence at the recently opened MS River Bridge and terminate at the current U.S. 82 near Leland, creating a half-loop freeway around South Greenville. Cloverleaf interchanges are presently being built at the freeway's junctions with MS 454 and MS 1. This new bypass will be the southern terminus for the planned freeway connector to Interstate 69, which is also under construction through the northern Mississippi Delta.

From Starkville east through Columbus and on to the Alabama state line, Hwy 82 is built to freeway standards. An improved interchange with U.S. Route 45 is currently under construction.

The Mississippi section of U.S. 82 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Throughout Alabama, U.S. 82 is paired with unsigned State Route 6. The highway crosses the state, and is known in West Alabama (Tuscaloosa and Northport) as McFarland Boulevard, in memory of the late Honorable Ward Wharton McFarland, a political, business, and civic leader who died in 1979. Currently in Pickens County, Alabama, a widening project of U.S. 82 is underway to make the highway four-laned. New bridges are being constructed using Federal Highway Administration monies, as well as matching Alabama Department of Transportation funds. Four-laning the highway in Tuscaloosa County, west of Northport to the Pickens County line, was completed in the fall of 2010.

Throughout much of southern Georgia, U.S. 82 is paired with State Route 520 and designated as "Corridor Z" and "South Georgia Parkway." West of Dawson, U.S. 82 is paired with Georgia Hwy 50, the historic State Route number for U.S. 82 in Georgia. From Albany, GA onwards, U.S. 82 becomes a four laned highway as it moves through Albany and then onto Tifton where 82 intersects with I-75. After this the highway moves east through southern plains and Waycross, GA, near the Okefenokee Swamp. 82 then proceeds to Brunswick, GA, where it terminates.

The east ends of US 82 and U.S. Route 84 were swapped in 1989 after the roads around Waycross, Georgia, were reconfigured.

Most of the Arkansas section was originally Highway 2.