Mississippi Highway 69

MS Highway 69
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length:	15.56 mi[1] (25.04 km)
Existed:	1941 – present
Major junctions
South end:	SR 14 near Forreston
North end:	US 45 / US 82 in Columbus
Location
Counties:	Lowndes
Highway system
Numbered Highways in Mississippi Interstate US State Unsigned ← I-69 US 72 →

Mississippi Highway 69 (MS 69) is a highway in eastern Mississippi. The route starts at the Alabama state line, and travels northwestward to Columbus. MS 69 then goes through downtown Columbus, and ends at U.S. Route 45 (US 45) and US 82 in the west side of the town. Before the route was designated in 1941, it was a gravel road from Columbus to the state line. In 1993, US 82 was realigned, and MS 69 was extended through Columbus.

Route description

MS 69 starts at the Alabama state line, where Alabama State Route 14 ends. The route turns northwest at Spurlock Road. It travels through the forest, intersecting Weaver Road and Halbert Road. MS 69 moves westward for a short period between Concord Road and East Minnie Vaughn Road. The road then curves slowly towards Columbus, as small streets begin to appear.^[2] At Pickensville Road, MS 69 travels north into Columbus, and intersects Fabritek Drive, the entrance to Columbus-Lowndes County Airport. At Yorkville Road, the road meets MS 795's eastern terminus. It soon crosses over the McCrary Vernon Creek and the Alabama Southern Railroad.^[3] At MS 182, MS 69 becomes concurrent with it and travels westward. The road soon crosses over Luxapalila Creek and enters downtown Columbus.^[3] MS 69 and MS 182 changes into a divided highway at Thirteenth Street. The street then intersects Fifth Street, which becomes US 45 past US 82. MS 182 continues westward on Island Road, while MS 69 travels northwestward. The route ends at US 45 and US 82 at a diamond interchange. The road continues to East Plymouth Road, where it ends.^[2]

In 2013, Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) calculated as many as 21,000 vehicles traveling west of the eastern end of the MS 182 concurrency, and as few as 2,000 vehicles traveling south of Halbert Road.^[4] It is not included as a part of the National Highway System (NHS).^[5] The route is legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3,^[6] and all of it is maintained by MDOT.^[1]

History

A gravel road from Columbus to Tuscaloosa has existed since 1928.^[7] In 1939, the road was temporarily removed from maps,^[8][9] and reappeared the next year.^[10][11] By 1941, the route was designated as MS 69,^[11][12] and the road became paved by 1953.^[13][14] In 1958, the northern terminus was rerouted out of downtown Columbus, to east of US 82 and MS 50's intersection.^[15][16] Around 1993, US 82 was realigned to the bypass around Columbus, and MS 69 was extended through Columbus to a diamond interchange in the western part of the town.^[17][18]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Lowndes County.

Location	mi[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
	0.0	0.0	SR 14 east – Aliceville	Alabama state line
Columbus	11.3	18.2	MS 795 (West Yorkville Road)
	12.6	20.3	MS 182 east – New Hope	south end of MS 182 overlap
	15.2	24.5	MS 182 west – Lowndes County Industrial Park and Port	north end of MS 182 overlap
	15.6	25.1	US 45 / US 82 – Starkville, Meridian, Tuscaloosa, Aberdeen	interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. Mississippi Department of Transportation Planning Division (December 31, 2013). Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics Extent, Travel, and Designation (PDF) (Report). Mississippi Department of Transportation. p. 156. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
2. Microsoft; Nokia (December 20, 2014). "Mississippi Highway 69" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
3. Columbus, Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Mississippi Department of Transportation. 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
4. "MDOT Traffic Count Application". Mississippi Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
5. National Highway System: Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. November 2003. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
6. "Mississippi Code Of 1972 As Amended - SEC. 65-3-3. State highways designated.". Mississippi Legislature. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
7. Mississippi State Highway Department (1928). Condition Map of State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
8. Mississippi State Highway Department (1938). Road Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
9. Mississippi State Highway Commission (January 1939). Official Highway Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
10. Mississippi State Highway Commission (July 1939). Official Highway Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
11. Mississippi State Highway Department (1940). Road Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
12. Mississippi State Highway Department (1941). Road Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
13. Mississippi State Highway Commission (July 1952). Official Road Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
14. Mississippi State Highway Commission (1953). Official Road Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
15. Mississippi State Highway Commission (1957). Official Road Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
16. Mississippi State Highway Commission (1958). Official Road Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
17. Mississippi State Highway Department (1992). Official Highway Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Columbus inset. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
18. Mississippi Department of Transportation (1993–1994). Official Highway Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi Department of Transportation. Columbus inset. Retrieved December 20, 2014.