Mississippi Highway 69 (MS 69) 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 Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in eastern

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. The route starts at the

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

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 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a route extend ...

in the west side of the town. Before the road was designated as MS 69 in 1941, it was a

gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. Gravel roads are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and ...

from Columbus to the state line. The road was paved in asphalt in 1953. In 1992, US 82 was realigned, and MS 69 was extended through Columbus to its current northern terminus.

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. 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. At MS 182, MS 69 becomes concurrent with it and travels westward. The road soon crosses over Luxapalila Creek and enters downtown Columbus. 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 at a three-way junction. All of MS 69 is located in Lowndes County. The route is legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3, and all of it is maintained by the

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 s ...

(MDOT).

History

from Columbus to the Mississippi–Alabama state line has existed since 1928, and it was designated as MS 69 by 1941. A $296,187.71 () contract awarded by the Mississippi State Highway Commission in 1951 was used to grade the road, add drainage,

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe (fluid conveyance), pipe, reinforced concrete or other materia ...

s, and bridges to the route. The road was paved with asphalt by 1953, after being proposed four years earlier by the city of Columbus' Chamber of Commerce. The highway caught on fire in 1957, after a wagon carrying

coal tar Coal tar is a thick dark liquid which is a by-product of the production of coke and coal gas from coal. It is a type of creosote. It has both medical and industrial uses. Medicinally it is a topical medication applied to skin to treat psoria ...

spilled its contents, destroying multiple telephone lines. In 1958, the northern terminus was rerouted out of downtown Columbus, to east of US 82 and MS 50's intersection. In 1992, 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.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline 069 Transportation in Lowndes County, Mississippi Columbus, Mississippi