U.S. Route 49E in Mississippi
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| Route information | |
| Length: | 516 mi (830 km) |
| Existed: | 1926 – present |
| Southern section | |
| South end: |
 US 90 at Gulfport, MS
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| Major junctions: |
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| North end: |
  US 49E / US 49W at Yazoo City, MS
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| Northern section | |
| South end: |
US 49E / US 49W at Tutwiler, MS
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| Major junctions: |
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| North end: |
   US 62 / AR 1 / AR 139 at Piggott, AR
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| Location | |
| States: | Mississippi, Arkansas |
| Highway system | |
U.S. Route 49 is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/Highway 1/Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). 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 songs by Big Joe Williams and Howlin' Wolf (Chester Arthur Burnett).
U.S. Route 49 has historically been one of the most important highways in Mississippi. It was the state's first highway to see a significant rural segment four-laned. Today, it is the only four-laned route directly connecting Jackson, the state's capital and largest city, to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Some urban segments along this portion of the route maintain three or more traffic lanes in each direction. Highway 49 serves as a primary hurricane evacuation route for Gulf Coast residents.
The highway begins near the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi at a junction with U.S. Route 90. Highway 49 provides a major connection between the port, casinos, beaches and downtown with Interstate 10 on the city's north end. North of I-10, US 49 passes through suburban areas and enters De Soto National Forest. Various state highway interchanges and junctions are encountered before the route passes near Camp Shelby, then through an interchange with U.S. Route 98 just south of Hattiesburg. At this point, travelers have an option of continuing on U.S. 49 through Hattiesburg or using a U.S. 98 / Interstate 59 bypass which reconnects with 49 in the northern part of the city. Continuing on 49 brings one to the cloverleaf interchange at U.S. Route 11, one of very few in the South to lack merging lanes between loop ramps, thus altering the usual weaving patterns which plague many of these interchanges.
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Wikipedia