Mississippi Highway 43 (MS 43) is a state highway 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 ...

that generally runs north–south in three segments: the first from

US 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

near

Bay St. Louis Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfp ...

MS 13 Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1970s and 1980s. Originally, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Ange ...

south of Columbia, resuming at MS 13 in southern Jefferson Davis County to end near Mendenhall, and finally starting again at MS 18 near Puckett to end at Attala Road 3122 in northern Attala County. It traverses approximately , serving

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...

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-all ...

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

Simpson Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...

, Rankin,

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, Leake, and Attala counties.

Route Description

Southern segment

MS 43,

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 MS 603, begins in Hancock County just west of

in Waveland at an intersection with

. The highway heads north through a business district as a four-lane undivided boulevard before widening to a divided highway as it leaves Waveland and curves to the northwest. MS 43/MS 603 pass through the suburban community of Shoreline Park for the next several miles to cross Bayou La Croix and have an interchange with

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

at Exit 13. The heads northward through rural terrain for the next few miles, where it narrows to two-lanes and has an intersection with the access road for

Stennis International Airport Stennis International Airport is a public use airport in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States. Owned by the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, the airport is located eight nautical miles (15 km) northwest of the central b ...

, which also houses many of the county's services. MS 43/MS 603 meet Texas Flat Road before crossing the

Jourdan River Jourdan may refer to: * Carolyn Jourdan, American author *Claude Jourdan (1803–1873), French zoologist and paleontologist * David W. Jourdan, businessman *Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (1762–1833), French army commander * Jourdan Bobbish (1994–2012), ...

and passing through the town of

Kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

, where MS 43 splits from MS 603. MS 43 passes northwestward through rural areas (and the community of Wiehe) for several miles, crossing the Jourdan River for a second time, before entering

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 ...

. MS 43 heads west through farmland to enter the city of

Picayune A picayune was a Spanish coin, worth half a real or one sixteenth of a dollar. Its name derives from the French ''picaillon'', which is itself from the Provençal ''picaioun'', the name of an unrelated small copper coin from Savoy. By extension, ...

, where it passes through neighborhoods before widening to a four-lane divided highway and coming to an interchange with

I-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. ...

(Exit 4), with MS 43 following I-59 north to Exit 6, where it crosses Hobolochitto Creek. MS 43 heads west from Exit 6 as a four-lane divided highway through a mix of neighborhoods and businesses to have 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 ...

. The highway narrows to two-lanes as it leaves Picayune, crossing Hobolochitto Creek again before having an intersection with MS 43 Spur ( MS 992/Beech Street). MS 43 winds its way northwest through farmland and wooded areas for several miles, passing through the Cybur community, before turning northward and coming to an intersection with MS 26 at the

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 ...

community. The highway now parallels the

as it winds its way north through wooded areas for several miles to cross into Marion County, coming to an end shortly thereafter at an intersection with

between Columbia and Lumberton.

Middle segment

MS 43 begins in Jefferson Davis County at an intersection with

just north of

Society Hill Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center City District dates the Free Soc ...

and heads west as a two-lane highway through woodlands to pass through Oak Vale, where it crosses into Lawrence County. MS 43 turns northwest through farmland, passing through

Arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between the ...

, before crossing the Silver Creek and having an intersection with MS 43A. The highway continues northwest to have a short concurrency with MS 184, just across the

from

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

, before joining

US 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–west U.S. Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it had been extended all the way to Colorado. The highway's eastern terminus is a short distan ...

east for a few miles. US 84/MS 43 enter the Silver Creek city limits at another intersection with MS 184 before MS 43 splits off at an intersection with MS 43A, winding its way through town along Front Street, where it has its final intersection with MS 184 (Southern Avenue). MS 43 leaves Silver Creek and heads northeast to enter New Hebron, where it passes through town along Jones Street, Main Avenue, and Franklin Street, having intersections with both MS 915 (unsigned/Jones Street) and MS 42 (Indiana Avenue). The highway heads north to leave New Hebron and straddle the line with Jefferson Davis County before crossing into Simpson County. MS 43 heads northeast through a mix of woods and farmland as it has an intersection with MS 478 and passes through Shivers. It then comes to an intersection with MS 28, which it briefly follows westward as it has an intersection with MS 472 and passes through Pinola. The highway winds it way northeast as it parallels the

Strong River The Strong River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 13, 2011 river in south-central Mississippi in the United States. It is a tributary of the Pearl River, which f ...

for several miles before entering Mendenhall and immediately coming to an end at another intersection with MS 13 just west of downtown.

Northern segment

MS 43 begins in Rankin County in Puckett at an intersection with MS 18 just northwest of downtown. It winds its way northward as a two-lane highway through farmland for several miles to have an interchange with

I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...

(Exit 68) before passing through Pelahatchie, where it has an intersection with

US 80 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 territorie ...

. The highway winds its way northwest to have an intersection with MS 481 before passing through Sand Hill, Koch (where it has an interchange with MS 25), and Goshen Springs (where it has an intersection with MS 471) before crossing a

Causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

over the

Ross Barnett Reservoir The Ross Barnett Reservoir, often called the Rez, is a reservoir of the Pearl River between Madison and Rankin counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The lake serves as the state's largest drinking water resource, and is managed by the Pea ...

(part of the

) into Madison County. MS 43 immediately has an interchange with the

Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national parkway in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles (715 ...

at Madisonville before passing northward through Canton, bypassing downtown along its eastern side while having 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 ...

with MS 16. The highway now turns northeast through mostly wooded areas for the next several miles, where it passes through

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

, before crossing into Leake County. MS 43 begins paralleling the Natchez Trace as it passes through the community of

Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...

, where it has a junction with MS 429, before continuing northeast for several more miles before crossing into Attala County. MS 43 becomes concurrent with MS 14 for a couple of miles to enter the Kosciusko outskirts, where it follows a beltway around downtown while having an intersection with MS 735 and concurrencies with MS 12, MS 19, and MS 35. The highway heads north out of Kosciusko through remote terrain for several miles to the Montgomery County line, where MS 43 comes to an end at an intersection with Winfry Road. Access to MS 407 can be achieved via a right onto Winfry Road for a before turning left onto Ellis Road for .

Major intersections

Related routes

Highway 43 Spur

MS 43 Spur, officially inventoried as Mississippi Highway 992 (MS 992), is a short local road which runs through

. Its northern terminus is at MS 43 and its southern terminus is just north of Goodyear Boulevard in Picayune. In accordance with its MS 992 designation, MS 43 Spur is the highest numbered state highway in the entire state of Mississippi.

Highway 43A

Mississippi Highway 43A (MS 43A) is an unsigned alternate route of MS 43 in Lawrence County, Mississippi. MS 43A begins at an intersection with MS 43 just northwest of the community of

. It heads north through rural areas, running parallel to the Silver Creek, for several miles to enter the town of Silver Creek and come to an end at an intersection with MS 184/MS 43. The entire route of MS 43A is a two-lane highway. The route is not legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3, and is a county road and city street not maintained by MDOT. A single MS 43A shield sign exists at the northern terminus at MS 184 in Silver Creek. ;Major intersections

References

External links