Mississippi Highway 18

Mississippi Highway 18 (MS 18) is a state highway stretching across central Mississippi, from just a couple miles inland of the Mississippi River, through the state capital of Jackson, to the Alabama state line. It runs from east to west for 177.654 miles (285.906 km), serving 7 counties: Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Rankin, Smith, Jasper, and Clarke.

Mississippi Highway 18
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length185.5 mi[1] (298.5 km)
(177.654 mi excluding concurrencies)
Existed1932–present
Major junctions
West end US 61 in Port Gibson
  I-20 in Jackson

US 80 in Jackson
I-220 in Jackson
US 51 in Jackson
US 49 / MS 468 in Pearl
US 80 in Brandon
I-59 in Pachuta
US 11 in Pachuta

US 45 in Quitman
East end CR 20 at Alabama border near Quitman
Location
CountiesClaiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Rankin, Smith, Jasper, Clarke
Highway system
MS 17 MS 19

Route description

MS 18 begins in Claiborne County in Port Gibson at an intersection with US 61, just across the Little Bayou Pierre from downtown. It heads east as a two-lane highway through neighborhoods before leaving Port Gibson at an interchange with the Natchez Trace Parkway. The highway travels through somewhat hilly terrain for the next several miles, where it passes through Hermanville and Carlisle, before entering Copiah County. MS 18 travels through the northwestern corner of the county, where it passes through Carpenter, crosses Bayou Pierre, and passes by the Utica campus of Hinds Community College, before entering Hinds County.

I-20 eastbound at its first interchange with MS 18 in western Jackson (Exit 40)

MS 18 curves northeastward as it passes through the town of Utica, bypassing downtown along it southeast side as it has a concurrency (overlap) with MS 27. The highway travels through farmland for several miles, where it passes through Raymond and widens to a four-lane divided highway, before entering the Jackson city limits and having an interchange with I-20 (Exit 40 A/B). MS 18 becomes concurrent with US 80 and they head east as a four-lane undivided highway through a business district to have an interchange with I-220/US 49 (Exit 1 A/B). US 80/MS 18 pass through a mix business districts and neighborhoods for a few miles as they travel just to the south of Jackson State University, while paralleling I-20/I-55 just to the north. The highway passes along the southern edge of downtown, where they have interchanges with West Street and US 51 (State Street), before crossing the Pearl River to leave both Jackson and Hinds County to enter Rankin County.

US 80/MS 18 immediately enter Pearl and widen to a divided highway as they pass under I-55 (without an interchange) and have an intersection with Old Highway 49 S before coming to an intersection between US 49 and MS 468 (Flowood Drive). MS 468 joins the concurrency and the highway passes a business district, where MS 468 splits off on Pearson Road, and US 80/MS 18 have an intersection with MS 475 (Airport Road) near Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport before entering neighboring Brandon. The highway passes through some neighborhoods before entering a business district, where MS 18 splits off and heads south to have another interchange with I-20 (Exit 54) before narrowing to two-lanes. MS 18 bypasses downtown along its southern edge, passing through an extremely rural and wooded area for a few miles before passing through neighborhoods, where it has another intersection with MS 468 (Whitfield Road). The highway has an intersection with Louis Wilson Drive (Old MS 18) before leaving Brandon and traveling southeast through a mix of rural farmland and woodlands for the next several miles. MS 18 has an intersection with MS 43 before passing through Puckett, where it has an intersection with MS 13. The highway crosses a bridge over the Strong River to pass through Galilee, where it becomes concurrent with MS 541 before entering Smith County.

Mississippi Highway 18 at its third and final intersection with Mississippi Highway 468 in the southern outskirts of Brandon

The highway passes through White Oak, where MS 541 splits off and heads north, and MS 18 travels east through woodlands (part of the Bienville National Forest) for several miles to enter Raleigh. MS 18 passes through neighborhoods and a business district before passing along the northern edge of downtown, where it has an intersection with MS 35. The highway now leaves Raleigh and travels through more woodlands to cross the Leaf River and have an intersection with MS 501 before passing through the village of Sylvarena. MS 18 now enters Jasper County.

MS 18 immediately enters Bay Springs at an junction with MS 531 and travels through some neighborhoods before passing through downtown, where it has an intersection with MS 15. It now leaves Bay Springs and heads northeast through a mix of farmland and wooded areas for several miles, where it has a short concurrency with MS 503, before passing through Rose Hill, where it has a junction with MS 513. The highway makes a sharp turn to the southeast for several miles to cross into Clarke County.

MS 18 travels through woodlands an interchange with I-59 (Exit 126) before straight through downtown Pachuta, where it has a concurrency with MS 512, as well as having an intersection with US 11. The highway leaves Pachuta and travels east through a mix of farmland and woodlands for several miles to become concurrent with MS 145 and they head north to cross the Chickasawhay River into Quitman. MS 18/MS 145 almost immediately enter downtown, with MS 18 splitting off at another junction with MS 512. MS 18 heads east through neighborhoods to cross over Archusa Creek Lake and have an intersection with MS 511 before coming to an interchange with US 45. MS 18 now leaves Quitman and travels east through remote, wooded, and hilly terrain for the next several miles (part of the North Central Hills portion of the Appalachian Mountains) to come to the Alabama state line, where MS 18 ends and the road continues into the state towards Butler as Choctaw County Road 20 (CR 20).[2]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
ClaibornePort Gibson0.00.0 US 61 Natchez, Vicksburg, Grand Gulf State ParkWestern terminus
1.21.9 Natchez Trace Parkwayinterchange
Hermanville8.012.9Old Highway 18 #4to MS 548
8.413.5 MS 819 south (Railroad Avenue)Northern terminus of unsigned MS 819
Copiah
No major junctions
HindsUtica27.043.5 MS 27 south Crystal SpringsWestern end of MS 27 overlap
28.445.7 MS 27 north VicksburgEastern end of MS 27 overlap
Raymond44.671.8East Main Street - Raymondto MS 467
Jackson53.5–
53.9
86.1–
86.7
I-20 Vicksburg, MeridianI-20 exit 40
54.387.4John R. Lynch Street / Morson RoadInterchange
54.788.0 US 80 west ClintonWestern end of US 80 overlap
55.1–
55.5
88.7–
89.3
I-220 / US 49 Vicksburg, MemphisI-220 exits 1 A/B
58.894.6West StreetInterchange; no access from to West Street from westbound US 80/MS 18
59.1–
59.2
95.1–
95.3
US 51 (State Street) to I-20 / I-55 – DowntownInterchange
RankinPearl60.897.8 US 49 south to I-20 Hattiesburg
MS 468 west (Flowood Drive) Flowood
Western end of MS 468 overlap
61.999.6 MS 468 east (Pearson Road) WhitfieldEastern end of MS 468 overlap
65.7105.7 MS 475 (Airport Road) Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, Whitfield
Brandon67.9109.3 US 80 east (West Government Street) PelahatchieEastern end of US 80 overlap
68.2–
68.5
109.8–
110.2
I-20 Meridian, JacksonI-20 exit 54
71.8115.6 MS 468 Whitfield, Brandon
Puckett88.8142.9 MS 43 north PelahatchieSouthern terminus of northern segment of MS 43
90.4145.5 MS 13 Morton, Mendenhall
93.2150.0 MS 541 south MageeWestern end of MS 541 overlap
SmithWhite Oak96.2154.8 MS 541 northEastern end of MS 541 overlap
Raleigh106.7171.7 MS 35 Forest, Mize
114.3183.9 MS 501 north ForestSouthern terminus of MS 501
Sylvarena115.8186.4Old 18 Drive (MS 917 north)Southern terminus of unsigned MS 917
JasperBay Springs120.4193.8 MS 531 south TaylorsvilleNorthern terminus of MS 531
122.0196.3 MS 15 Newton, Heidelberg, Laurel
138.8223.4 MS 503 south Paulding, Lake Claude BennettWestern end of MS 503 overlap
138.9223.5 MS 503 north HickoryEastern end of MS 503 overlap
Rose Hill143.1230.3 MS 513 south EnterpriseNorthern terminus of MS 531
ClarkePachuta151.4–
151.6
243.7–
244.0
I-59 Meridian, LaurelI-59 exit 126
153.1246.4 MS 512 west Lake Eddins, PauldingWestern end of MS 512 overlap
153.3246.7 US 11 Sandersville, Heidelberg, Enterprise
155.6250.4 MS 512 eastEastern end of MS 512 overlap
164.5264.7 MS 145 south WaynesboroWestern end of MS 145 overlap
Quitman166.8268.4 MS 145 north / MS 512 west Meridian, PachutaEastern end of MS 145 overlap; eastern terminus of MS 512
168.0270.4 MS 511 south Archusa Creek Water ParkNorthern terminus of MS 511
170.1273.7 US 45 Meridian, WaynesboroInterchange
185.5298.5 CR 20 east ButlerAlabama state line; eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. "Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Transportation. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  2. Google (January 26, 2021). "Map of Mississippi Highway 18" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
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