U.S. Route 49

U.S. Route 49
Length:	516[1] mi (830 km)
Formed:	1926[1]
South end:	US 90 at Gulfport, MS
Major junctions:	I-10 at Gulfport, MS I-59 at Hattiesburg, MS I-20 / I-55 at Jackson, MS I-40 at Brinkley, AR U.S. 63 at Jonesboro, AR
North end:	U.S. 62 / Hwy. 139 at Piggott, AR
United States Numbered Highways List – Bannered – Divided – Replaced

U.S. Route 49 is a north-south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with U.S. Route 62. Its southern terminus is in Gulfport, Mississippi, at an intersection with U.S. Route 90. US 49 is approximately 516 miles (830 km) in length.

It was at the junction of US 49 and U.S. Route 61 that blues singer Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the Devil. The highway is also the subject of a song by Howlin' Wolf.

Route description

Mississippi

As of 2005, U.S. 49 splits into U.S. Route 49E and U.S. Route 49W in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Continuing northward, these two highways rejoin as US 49 at Tutwiler, Mississippi. US 49W (the western branch) passes through Indianola and Belzoni, while US 49E veers to the east to serve Greenwood. US 49W is considered to be the main thoroughfare through the Mississippi Delta.

A recent reconstruction project completed in 2005 relocated the route of US 49W and its southern terminus in the Yazoo City area. Originally running from Silver City to Yazoo City via Midnight and Louise into the heart of Yazoo City, the route has now been shifted eastward. US 49W now runs from Silver City through the small town of Carter to the northern part of Yazoo City, where the highway meets US 49E and becomes US 49 again, cutting more than 10 miles (16 km) off the old route. The original route is now numbered Mississippi Highway 149 and is paired with Mississippi Highway 16.

U.S. Highway 49 in Mississippi is a designated hurricane evacuation route. It is four-laned and divided from the Gulf Coast to the intersection with U.S. Highway 82 in Indianola. 49 has historically been one of Mississippi's most important roadways. As one can see from the Official Highway Map Archive at the Mississippi Department of Transportation's website (www.gomdot.com), it was the first highway in the state to see significant sections four-laned.

A unique feature of this highway is the very old and antiquated cloverleaf interchange at the junction with U.S. Route 11 in Hattiesburg. Built in the 1940s when Hattiesburg was a much smaller town, the interchange lacks any merging lanes between loop ramps. Whatever problems this may create when traffic is heavy, the usual complaint about dangerous weaving issues inherent to standard cloverleaf designs would not apply.

Legal definition

The Mississippi section of U.S. 49 and the routes of U.S. 49E and 49W are defined at Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Arkansas

US 49 enters Arkansas near Helena-West Helena in Phillips County. US 49 Business runs around the north part of the city, with the main route meeting AR 242 in the southern portion. US 49 continues west to Walnut Corner where the route meets AR 1 (and briefly AR 316). The US 49/AR 1 concurrency ends in Marvell, and US 49 enters Monroe County.

Upon entering Monroe County, US 49 turns north to begin a concurrency with AR 39. US 49 also crosses US 67 before meeting US 70 near Brinkley. The route crosses Interstate 40 north of Brinkley prior to entering Woodruff County. US 49 runs northeast through rural Woodruff County, not crossing of concurring with any important routes before crossing into Cross County.

The route meets US 64 in Fair Oaks, and meets AR 42 in southern Hickory Ridge. It then enters Poinsett County, concurring with AR 214 from Fisher until Waldenburg. The route crosses AR 14 in Waldenburg.

US 49 runs along south Jonesboro, with US 49 Business formerly running into town. US 49 concurrs with US 63 until again joining AR 1. The two routes angle north through downtown Jonesboro, crossing US 63 Business and passing by ASU Stadium before leaving town. US 49/AR 1 pass around Brookland, with US 49 Business serving the community.

Entering Greene County, US 49/AR 1 briefly meets AR 358 before entering Paragould. The routes cross US 412 near Kirk Field in Paragould, also meeting AR 135 north of town. US 49 Business also rejoins US 49/AR 1 north of Paragould.

Continuing northeast through rural Greene County, US 49/AR 1 meet AR 34 in Marmaduke and AR 90 in Rector. The route turns north to Piggott at Hargrave Corner, terminating at US 62/AR 139. The Arkansas portion of US 49 is mainly two-lane undivided.

See also

• List of U.S. Routes in Arkansas

Related Routes

• Mississippi Highway 149

Bannered routes

• U.S. Route 49 Business in Brookland, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 49 Business in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 49 Business in Jonesboro, Arkansas (decommissioned)
• U.S. Route 49 Business in Paragould, Arkansas
• U.S. Route 49E Business in Greenwood, Mississippi (decommissioned)
• U.S. Route 49 Business in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (decommissioned)

References

		edit Main U.S. Routes
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
40	41	42	43	44	45	46		48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59
60	61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79
80	81	82	83	84	85		87		89	90	91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99
101		163					400				412				425
Lists		U.S. Routes - Bannered - Divided - Bypassed - Portal

Browse numbered routes
< Hwy. 48	AR		Hwy. 50 >
< MS 48	MS		MS 50 >

v • d • e Roads in Jonesboro, Arkansas Interstate Highways I-555 (future) U.S. Routes US 49 • US 63  • US 63 BUS State Highways AR 1  • AR 1B  • AR 18  • AR 18S  • AR 91  • AR 141  • AR 226  • AR 351  • AR 463