U.S. Highway
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...
in the
Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also re ...
region 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 ...
Humphreys Humphreys may refer to:
Places
* Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge, Arkansas-Mississippi
*Camp Humphreys, U.S. Camp in South Korea
*Humphreys, Missouri
*Humphreys County, Mississippi
*Humphreys County, Tennessee
* Humphreys County Airport, Tennessee
*Hu ...
,
Sunflower
The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...
Yazoo City
Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's m ...
at an interchange between US 49 and US 49E. It heads northwest to have an interchange with and become concurrent with MS 3 before leaving Yazoo City and crossing over the
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...
. The highway then crosses into Humphreys County just southwest of
Carter
Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to:
Geography United States
* Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Montana, a census-designated place
* Carter, ...
.
US 49W/MS 3 now cross over the Will M. Whittington Auxiliary Channel and Lake Atchaflya before passing through Silver City and having an intersection with MS 149. The highway continues north, paralleling the Yazoo River, to pass through Belzoni, where it bypasses downtown along its west side and has a short concurrency with MS 12 and an intersection with MS 7. US 49W/MS 3 continue northwest to pass through Isola, where it has an intersection with unsigned MS 806 (Belzoni Street) and crosses over
Lake Dawson
Lake Dawson (born January 2, 1972) is a former professional American football player and current executive in the NFL. He graduated from Federal Way High School in 1990, where he had participated in football, basketball, and track. He played fo ...
, before entering
Sunflower County
Sunflower County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,450. Its largest city and county seat is Indianola.
Sunflower County comprises the Indianola, MS Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
, where it intersects another section of MS 149, before MS 3 splits off towards Moorhead near Baird. US 49W crosses over the
Sunflower River
The Sunflower River (also known as the Big Sunflower River) is one of the main tributaries of the Yazoo River in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is navigable by barge for 50 miles. It rises in De Soto County, Mississippi near the Tennessee border ...
to enter Indianola. It bypasses downtown along its east side, passing through neighborhoods to have an intersection with
US 82
U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...
. The highway then narrows to two-lanes to leave Indianola and cross the Sunflower River for a second time. Prior to this point, the entire route of US 49W is a four-lane highway. US 49W passes through
Sunflower
The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...
, where it intersects unsigned MS 810 and rejoins MS 3, before passing through Dwyer and Blaine. US 49W/MS 3 passes through Doddsville, where it has a short concurrency with MS 442 and intersects unsigned MS 832, and Cottondale before passing through Ruleville, where it has an intersection with unsigned MS 812 and MS 8. The highway passes through
Drew
Drew may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
;In the United States
* Drew, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Drew, Mississippi, a city
* Drew, Missouri, an unincorporated community
* Drew, Oregon, an unincorporated community
* Drew County, Arkansas
* ...
, where it intersects unsigned MS 820, before passing by the
Mississippi State Penitentiary
Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP), also known as Parchman Farm, is a maximum-security prison farm located in unincorporated Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta region. Occupying about of land,MS 32. US 49W/MS 3 passes through
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
before cutting a corner of Coahoma County. Soon after, the route reaches
Tallahatchie County
Tallahatchie County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,715. Its county seats are Charleston and Sumner.
Tallahatchie County is located in the Mississippi Delta region, divided by the Tall ...
.
The highway passes northeast through rural areas for several miles before entering Tutwiler and coming to an end at a Y-Intersection between US 49 and US 49E, with MS 3 continuing north along US 49.
History
U.S. Route 49W didn't come about until 1932, when the US 49 split was made. The southern section of this route was designated for 4-laning under the 1987 Highway Program, and was also marked as NHS.
The highway previously traveled straight through downtown Yazoo City along what is now MS 149/ MS 16 (Broadway Street). No trucks were allowed along this portion of the highway, with trucks forced to detour via routes on the edge of the city. In 2004, a completely new four-lane alignment between Yazoo City and Silver City opened. This had the effect of lengthening US 49, shortening US 49W, and allowing trucks to follow US 49W without detouring around the middle of Yazoo City. The former two-lane alignment of US 49W between Yazoo City and Silver City became part of MS 149 in 2006.
It is notable that for several years during the 1930s, a second split route existed on US 49 in South Mississippi, similar to but shorter than the split that still exists in the Delta region.Official Mississippi Highway Map of 1936 retrieved September 29, 2011 Between Brooklyn and Hattiesburg, travelers had the option of a direct route via US 49W, or a somewhat shorter but broken route on US 49E, serving the
Forrest County Agricultural High School
Forrest County Agricultural High School (FCAHS) is a public, secondary school in Brooklyn, in unincorporated Forrest County, Mississippi (United States). The school provides education to grades 9 12.
Forrest County AHS is the only independently f ...
and the small community of
McLaurin, Mississippi
McLaurin is a small unincorporated community in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States.
History
The town of McLaurin is named for General McLaurin, who was also the first president of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad. At one time, McLauri ...