Mississippi Highway 304 (MS 304) is east-west state highway in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of

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 ...

, running for as a four-lane freeway from

U.S. Route 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designate ...

(US 61) in

Tunica Resorts Tunica Resorts, formerly known as Robinsonville until 2005,

to the

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

state line near Collierville. It is mostly

concurrent 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 ...

with Interstate 69 (I-69) and

Interstate 269 Interstate 269 (I-269) is a beltway around the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and its adjacent suburban areas in southwestern Tennessee and northern Mississippi, completed in October 2018. I-269 was planned and built to serve as an outer bypas ...

(I-269).

Route description

Interstate 69 and MS 304 reassurance markers

MS 304 begins at a

trumpet interchange In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...

with US 61 east of

Tunica Resorts Tunica Resorts, formerly known as Robinsonville until 2005,

in the northern reaches of the Mississippi Delta region. The four-lane freeway has a half-

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 ...

with MS 3 that allows access to and from the east. MS 304 crosses over a rail line and has a partial interchange with a stub of

I-69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at ...

that leads to MS 713 at

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

; the interchange includes a flyover from the westbound direction of the freeway. Immediately to the east of the interchange, I-69/MS 304 climbs some Loess bluffs to leave the Delta. The freeway has diamond interchanges with MS 301, Fogg Road, and Tulane Road. I-69/MS 304 crosses another rail line and passes over US 51 with no access just west of the state highway's terminus at

I-55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

on the northern end of Hernando, where I-69 joins I-55 heading north toward

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. The highways meet at a full cloverleaf interchange and then MS 304 runs east concurrent with

to the Tennessee state line.

History

MS 304 was originally designated back in 1950 along a narrow, rural, two-lane highway running from US 61 in what was then known as Robinsonville (now Tunica Resorts) to I-55 in Hernando, in Tunica and

De Soto De Soto commonly refers to * Hernando de Soto (c. 1495 – 1542), Spanish explorer * DeSoto (automobile), an American automobile brand from 1928 to 1961 De Soto, DeSoto, Desoto, or de Soto may also refer to: Places in the United States of Ameri ...

counties respectively. Portions of this highway are still state maintained, including the new MS 713 (from Tunica Resorts to

) and MS 304 Scenic (from Eudora to Hernando). The portion in between (from Banks to Eudora) still exists and is county maintained, simply known as Old Highway 304. The Mississippi Highway 304 Relocation project, completed in 2006, and extended in 2018, was a construction project that completely relocated the entire route of MS 304 onto a four-lane divided freeway, meant to connect the Tunica Resorts casino area to I-55. The

designation was added to the project in 2000, with construction on the original portion (US 61 to I-55) being completed in 2006. When I-269 was given Federal approval in 2007, MS 304 was added to that project. When the Mississippi portion of I-269 was completed 2018, MS 304 was co-signed along the entire length of the Mississippi portion of I-269.

Exit list

Scenic route

Mississippi Highway 304 Scenic (MS 304 Scenic) is a scenic route of MS 304, connecting the towns of Coldwater and Hernando with Arkabutla Dam and

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

I-55 North - Exit 280 - MS304 Scenic (43814503020)

MS 304 Scenic begins in Tate County in the town of Coldwater at an interchange with

(exit 271). It heads west, concurrent with MS 306, as a two-lane through a wooded area on the northern edge of town for about a mile to an intersection with

US 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered High ...

, where MS 306 ends and MS 304 Scenic follows US 51 southbound to enter town. The highway passes through a business district, where they widen to four-lane divided, before passing through a neighborhood and entering downtown, where MS 304 Scenic splits off along W Central Avenue. MS 304 Scenic heads west as a two-lane through a neighborhood before leaving Coldwater and crossing Hickahala Creek. The highway travels through a mix of farmland and wooded areas for several miles to enter the community of Arkabutla, where it becomes concurrent with MS 301. MS 304 Scenic/MS 301 turn northward to Arkabutla and wind their way through some woodlands for a few miles, following along the coastline of the Sunfish Bay of

Arkabutla Lake Arkabutla Lake is a reservoir on the Coldwater River in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It was created following the construction of the Arkabutla Dam in 1940 on the Coldwater River. The dam is located on Arkabutla Dam Rd (Mississippi Highway 30 ...

to pass along the western side of Arkabutla Dam, where they cross a bridge over the Coldwater River into De Soto County. MS 304 Scenic/MS 301 make a sharp left onto Pratt Road for a few miles, where they cross Cub Lake Bayou, before making a sharp right turn and traveling through a mix of farmland and wooded areas to the community of Eudora, where MS 304 Scenic splits off and heads east along Old Highway 304. MS 304 Scenic crosses an extremely swampy area, which is an extension of the northern part of Arkabutla Lake, before traveling through farmland for several miles to enter the Hernando city limits. It enters town along W Commerce Street and passes through a suburb, then a neighborhood, before entering downtown and having another intersection with US 51 via a roundabout around the De Soto County Courthouse. MS 304 Scenic leaves downtown along E Commerce Street and passes through a major business district for several blocks before coming to an end at another interchange with I-55 (exit 280). Prior to 2006, when mainline MS 304 was relocated onto its new four-lane divided freeway to the north, MS 304 Scenic previously actually met its parent route, with the two running concurrent with each other between Eudora and the I-55 interchange (exit 280) in Hernando, which served as the terminus for both highways.

References

External links

*{{commons category inline

304 Year 304 ( CCCIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. It was known in the Roman Empire as the Year of the Consulship of Diocletian and Maximian (or, less frequently, year 1057 '' A ...

Interstate 69 Transportation in DeSoto County, Mississippi Transportation in Marshall County, Mississippi