Mississippi Highway 26 (MS 26) is a
state highway in southern
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 ...
. It runs from a continuation of
Louisiana Highway 10
Louisiana Highway 10 (LA 10) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in an east–west direction from U.S. Highway 171 (US 171) south of Leesville to the Mississippi state line east of Bogalusa.
The route connects a ...
(LA 10) east through
Pearl River
The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...
,
Stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
, and
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
counties to
MS 198 in
Lucedale. Along the way it intersects several major highways including
U.S. Route 11 (US 11) in
Poplarville,
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.
...
(I-59) in Poplarville, and
US 49 in
Wiggins
Team Wiggins Le Col (), also known as ''Team Wiggins'' in media, was a professional developmental cycling team based in the United Kingdom, which began competing in elite road bicycle racing and track cycling in 2015. The team folded at the e ...
.
In late September a section of MS 26 east of
Benndale collapsed due to heavy rains from
Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida was a deadly and extremely destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2021 that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana on record, behind Hurricane Katrina in 200 ...
and killed three people.
Route description
MS 26 begins in
Pearl River County
Pearl River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 55,834 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Poplarville.
Pearl River County comprises the Picayune, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is inc ...
at the
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
state line at a bridge over the
Pearl River
The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...
, where it continues west across the bridge into
Bogalusa
Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city, town, place equivalent reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolit ...
as
Louisiana Highway 10
Louisiana Highway 10 (LA 10) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in an east–west direction from U.S. Highway 171 (US 171) south of Leesville to the Mississippi state line east of Bogalusa.
The route connects a ...
(LA 10). It heads east through woodlands for a couple miles to pass through the community of
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
, where it has an intersection with
MS 43, before passing through rural for the next several miles, where it crosses White Sand Creek. The highway travels through the suburb of
West Poplarville before entering the town of
Poplarville, bypassing downtown to the south as it has an intersection with
US 11
{{Infobox road
, country=USA
, type=US
, route=11
, map={{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, frame-height=330, type=line, from=U.S. Route 11.map
, map_custom=yes
, map_notes=US 11 in red, US 11E in blue, US 11W in ...
(where it becomes
concurrent (overlapped) with
MS 53) and crosses a bridge over some railroad tracks. MS 26 now passes through a business district, where MS 53 splits off, before having an interchange with
I-59 (Exit 29) before leaving Poplarville and crossing the
Wolf River. The highway travels through rural woodlands before entering
Stone County.
MS 26 travels through a mix of farmland and wooded areas for several miles to cross Black Creek before entering the town of
Wiggins
Team Wiggins Le Col (), also known as ''Team Wiggins'' in media, was a professional developmental cycling team based in the United Kingdom, which began competing in elite road bicycle racing and track cycling in 2015. The team folded at the e ...
. It passes through some neighborhoods before passing by the town's airport and having an interchange with
US 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 ...
. The highway passes through more neighborhoods as Central Avenue before passing along the southern edge of downtown as it has an interchange between
MS 29 and
MS 149. MS 26 passes through more neighborhoods before leaving Wiggins and traveling through farmland for the next several miles. The highway passes through the community of
Whites Crossing before traveling through the southern portion of
De Soto National Forest
De Soto National Forest, named for 16th-century Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, is of pine forests in southern Mississippi. It is one of the most important protected areas for the biological diversity of the Gulf Coast ecoregion of North Ame ...
, where it has an intersection with the southern section of
MS 15, before entering
George County.
MS 26 crosses Cypress Creek before traveling through the community of
Benndale, where it has a junction with
MS 57. It now crosses the
Pascagoula River
The Pascagoula River is a river, about 80 miles (130 km) long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. The river drains an area of about 8,800 square miles (23,000 km²) and flows into Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexic ...
, and passes through the community of
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
, before having an interchange with
MS 63 to enter the town of
Lucedale along Winter Street. The highway passes through a business district, where it has an intersection with Old Highway 63 before entering downtown, where it comes to an end at an intersection with
MS 198 (Main Street).
The entire length of Mississippi Highway 26 is a rural two-lane highway.
[ ]
History
On August 31, 2021, two people were killed and at least ten others were injured when their vehicles plunged into a deep hole on a collapsed section of Highway 26 nearly six miles east of
Benndale. Heavy rains from
Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida was a deadly and extremely destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2021 that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana on record, behind Hurricane Katrina in 200 ...
caused the highway to collapse. On September 11, 2021, one of the others injured died bringing the death toll to three.
By late September, the Department of Transportation announced that a geotechnical review was finished and that a company will be chosen by early October to repair the damage.
[ On Thursday, October 7, the Department of Transportation awarded a $1.8 million contract to T.L. Wallace Construction, of Columbia. The road is expected to be opened in early winter 2021, and totally complete by early 2022.]
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Magnolia MeanderingsZachary Taylor Parkway
026
Transportation in Pearl River County, Mississippi
Transportation in Stone County, Mississippi
Transportation in George County, Mississippi