From here, the route heads northeast on South Broad Street, a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane that immediately crosses a Norfolk Southern railroad line.

The route runs through wooded areas with some residential and commercial development.

At this point, SR 279 heads northeast for a concurrency with US 72/SR 2 on a four-lane divided highway, passing a few businesses.

The two routes continue through wooded areas of residential and commercial establishments, passing to the southeast of Scottsboro Municipal Airport.

In the 1980s, a bypass was constructed around the west side of Scottsboro, which alleviated congestion in the city.