Mississippi Highway 496 (MS 496) is a east–west

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 eastern

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 19 near

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

and travels eastwards through rural Lauderdale County. The road crosses the

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

–Mississippi state line east of Alamucha, and it continues on as a county highway. The road that became part of the route was constructed in the 1920s, and it was designated as a state highway by 1957. Two projects in 1964 and 1974 resulted in the route being fully paved.

Route description

All of MS 496 is located within Lauderdale County, and the route is maintained by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) as part of the

Mississippi State Highway System The Mississippi State Highway System is a network of roads that are maintained by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). This network includes Interstate, U.S., and state highways. Highway systems Interstate highways There are ni ...

. MS 496 is legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3. MS 496 starts at a

three-way intersection A three-way junction (or three-way intersection) is a type of road intersection with three arms. A Y junction (or Y intersection) generally has three arms of equal size coming at an acute or obtuse angle to each other; while a T junction (or T ...

with MS 19 near

, and the route travels eastward through rural, forested Lauderdale County. The road begins to turn northeast past Old Wire Road and Whitaker Road, and it crosses Cokers Branch near Harper Road. At KOA Campground Road, MS 496 begins traveling southeastward. The route then intersects Russell–Mount Gilead Road and Linton Road, which travel to

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

and Vimville respectively. MS 496 enters the

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Alamucha near Alamucha–Whynot Road, and starts traveling northeastwards again east of Greenhill Road. Near the

–Mississippi state line, the road intersects T.K. Culpepper Road, a county-maintained state highway with the designation of MS 897. MS 496 crosses the state line past Salem Church Road, and it continues as Sumter County Route 1, which continues northeastwards towards the town of

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History

The road that became part of MS 496 was built in the 1920s, following telegraph lines that were completed in 1849. By 1957, it became part of MS 496, starting at MS 19 near Meridian and ending at the Alabama state line. The route was paved in

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

near the western terminus, and the remaining had a gravel surface. A project to pave and improve of MS 496 from Meridian to Alamucha began in 1964, and it was completed one year later. Another project to pave the route to the Alabama state line started in 1973, and it was completed by 1974, resulting in MS 496 being fully paved in asphalt though both termini.

Major intersections

References

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496 __NOTOC__ Year 496 ( CDXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paulus without colleague (or, less frequently, ye ...