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Mississippi Highway 23 (MS 23) is a
state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
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 ...
. The route starts at MS 25 in the town of Smithville. It travels northeastward through the forests of eastern Itawamba County. The highway intersects
Interstate 22 Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway System. ...
(I-22) and
U.S. Route 78 U.S. Route 78 (US 78) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 715 miles (1,151 km) from Memphis, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina. From Byhalia, Mississippi to Birmingham, Alabama, US 78 is concurrent with Interstate 2 ...
(US 78) in Tremont. MS 23 ends at the Mississippi–Alabama state line, just west of Red Bay. The routing that became part of MS 23 was first constructed as a
graded road Grading in civil engineering and landscape architectural construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and g ...
in 1925, from north of Amory to the state line. Gravel was added to sections of the route in the 1930s. The designation was added to maps around 1950, and it was extended to Smithville in 1960. The route was fully paved by 1980.


Route description

The highway is located in northern Monroe and eastern
Itawamba Levi Colbert (1759–1834), also known as ''Itawamba'' in Chickasaw, was a leader and chief of the Chickasaw nation. Colbert was called ''Itte-wamba Mingo'', meaning ''bench chief''. He and his brother George Colbert were prominent interpreters ...
counties. MS 23 is legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3, and is maintained by the
Mississippi Department of Transportation The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Mississippi. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in sup ...
as part of the state highway system. The section of the route from Tremont to the Mississippi–Alabama state line is designated as
Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...
Memorial Highway, named after the country music singer–songwriter who grew up near Tremont. MS 23 starts at an intersection with MS 25 in the town of Smithville and travels eastward. It leaves the city limits at Seminole Road and crosses Mill Creek shortly after. The road travels through a rural area, and turns northward at George Pearce Road. Past Jug Shop Road, MS 23 crosses the Itawamba County line. Upon entering the county, the route crosses Bluff Creek and travels northeastward. At Bull Mountain Road, the road enters a forest. Traveling past the community of Turon, the road turns further north into the county. Over the next few miles, MS 23 crosses over Smith and Jims creeks and travels toward Cadamy. The road travels north past Cadamy, turning into a
divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
. It meets
I-22 I22 or I 22 may refer to: * Interstate 22 Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of ...
and
US 78 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
at a
diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
, just within the corporate limits of Tremont. Past the interchange, MS 23 changes back to a
two-lane road A single carriageway (British English) or Undivided highway (American English) is a road with one, two or more lanes arranged within a one carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. A single-track road has a s ...
and intersects MS 178, the beginning of a short
concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
through the town. Once the concurrency begins, MS 23 and MS 178 travel westward through the center of Tremont. MS 23 departs from MS 178 to the north less than later, ending the concurrency. It travels northeastward into the forest, and soon leaves the corporate limits. At Cotton Gin Road, MS 23 turns north, crosses Mountain Creek and intersects Mt. Gilead Road and Hartsell Road in the center of Bounds Crossroads. The route intersects the eastern terminus of MS 76 and later parallels that divided highway. MS 23 shifts slightly north past Pineville Road, and it ends at the Mississippi–Alabama state line. Past this point, County Road 3, also known as Tammy Wynette Memorial Highway, continues to Red Bay in
Franklin County, Alabama Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,113. Its county seat is Russellville. Its name is in honor of Benjamin Franklin, famous statesman, scientist, and printer. It is a ...
.


History

The MS 23 designation was used for another route from 1932 to 1940. The routing was from Starkville to Shannon when it was first designated. The section from Shannon to Okolona was paved by 1937. The next year, of the route was paved from
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
southwards. MS 25 was extended south in 1939, replacing all of MS 23 from Starkville to north of West Point. The MS 23 designation was replaced with the MS 45W one by 1940. MS 45W was renumbered in 1968 to US 45 Alternate, its current designation. The earliest sections of the current routing of MS 23 have existed since 1925, and the road that became MS 23 was part of the state map in 1928 as a
graded road Grading in civil engineering and landscape architectural construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and g ...
. The road traveled from north of Amory to the state line. The section from US 78 northward was paved in
gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...
by 1933. It was straightened out and extended southwestward three years later. The route designation re-appeared on the state map by 1950. A small section near Tremont was paved five years later, and the majority of the route was paved by 1957. MS 23 was extended to MS 25 and Smithville along a gravel road, and the entire section north of US 78 was paved in 1960. The Monroe County section of the route was paved in 1965, and a part of the route south of Tremont was paved in 1973. The entire route was paved by 1980. In 1991, US 78 was rerouted onto a
divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
, and a new interchange was constructed at MS 23. A part of the
Appalachian Development Highway System The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historical ...
, Corridor V, was constructed to MS 23 by 2014.


Major intersections


References

{{reflist, 30em 023 Transportation in Monroe County, Mississippi Transportation in Itawamba County, Mississippi