Mississippi Highway 607 (MS 607) 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 the
Mississippi Gulf Coast
The Mississippi Gulf Coast, also known as Mississippi Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast region, Coastal Mississippi, and The Coast, is the area of Mississippi along the Mississippi Sound at the northern extreme of the Gulf of Mexico.
Geography
At th ...
region. The route starts at
U.S. Route 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 ...
(US 90), and it travels westward to
Interstate 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 ...
(I-10). The route has a gap as the road travels through the
Stennis Space Center
The John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is a NASA rocket testing facility in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the banks of the Pearl River at the Mississippi–Louisiana border. , it is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility. T ...
, but resumes north of the center to end at
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.
...
and
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 ...
south 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, ...
. The road was part of US 11 and US 90, before
MS 43 was designated in 1948. MS 607 was created in 1967, after MS 43 was rerouted, and Stennis Space Center was built.
Route description
All of the route is located in
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 Hampshire
* ...
and
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 ...
counties.
MS 607 starts at a
T-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 US 90 and travels westward. The route goes through a forest as 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 ...
.
[ Nearly later, MS 607 intersects MS 604 as it turns northwest.][ After passing by two ]electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and ...
s,[ it crosses a road that leads to the Mississippi welcome center and ]INFINITY Science Center
The John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is a NASA rocket testing facility in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the banks of the Pearl River at the Mississippi–Louisiana border. , it is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility. T ...
, a NASA visitor center. The route then intersects I-10 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 ...
, and state maintenance ends just north of it along with the formal designation of MS 607. United States government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
maintenance begins,[ and the road soon turns north. About later, MS 607 travels through an access gate and enters Stennis Space Center.][
Past the access gate, the road crosses over a canal and intersects road that leads to an old alignment of MS 43. MS 607 later shifts northwest until it meets H Road. It then travels north through thick forests for more than , until it reaches Gravel Pit Road, where it begins traveling northwest. South of Turtleskin Creek, MS 607 reaches to an access gate.][ State maintenance and the MS 607 designation resumes at the intersection of Texas Flat Road and the old alignment of US 11.][ The route continues traveling northwest as a divided highway through the forest,][ entering Pearl River County and intersecting Asa McQueen Road.][ Small houses soon appear, and the route necks down to two lanes and meets US 11 and I-59 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 ...
. The road continues on into Picayune as US 11.
In 2019, 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 ...
(MDOT) calculated as many as 8,700 vehicles traveling west of US 90, and as few as 2,900 vehicles traveling south of Texas Flat Road. All of the road is maintained by MDOT and the United States Government. MS 607 is part of two scenic routes
''Scenic Routes'' is an album by roots music band Lost Dogs, released on BAI Records in 1992.
The album began as a one time recording effort from the frontmen of four creative rock bands; Gene Eugene, from the funk/rock band, Adam Again; Terry ...
and memorial designations: Hospitality Highway, which is designated from I-10 to US 90, and NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
Scenic Byway to Space, starting at the intersection of MS 607 and MS 604 to the south gate of the center, then from the north gate to Texas Flat Road.
History
The road that became part of MS 607 was part of US 90 and US 11 since 1928, and all of it became paved by 1934. In 1936, a new road was built from US 90 to south of Slidell, and US 90 was soon rerouted to it. The road between US 11 and US 90 became MS 11-90. By 1939, US 90 was moved to another new road, bypassing the old one. The MS 11-90 designation was temporarily removed in 1942, and was restored the next year. In 1948, MS 11-90's designation was removed, and the road became part of MS 43. Between 1958 and 1960, 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.
...
and 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 ...
were proposed. Meanwhile, the began buying land in Hancock County for the Mississippi Test Operations in 1962, which later became Stennis Space Center. In 1967, MS 43's alignment was moved around NASA's test site, and the old alignment became MS 607. Only north and south of the test area were state maintained. Construction at the test facility was completed later that year. By January 1971, I-10 was connected to MS 607. One month later, MS 607 south of the Stennis Space Center was upgraded to a four-lane 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 ...
, after it was proposed in 1969. A project to widen MS 607 from Texas Flat Road to I-59 began in 2013, and construction continued through 2015.
Major intersections
See also
* Mississippi Highway 602 – A former state highway that also passed through what is now Stennis Space Center
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
607
__NOTOC__
Year 607 ( DCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 607 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...
Transportation in Hancock County, Mississippi
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 90
Transportation in Pearl River County, Mississippi