Mississippi Highway 5
Mississippi Highway 5 (MS 5) is a state highway in Benton County, Mississippi, United States. It runs 24.3 mi (39.107 km) from MS 178 in Hickory Flat north to U.S. Route 72 (US 72) to the south of Michigan City. The route runs through the Holly Springs National Forest for much of its length and passes through Ashland. To the south of Ashland, MS 5 has a concurrency with MS 4. The MS 5 designation was first used by 1932 for an unpaved road between Hickory Flat and the Tennessee border in Michigan City. In 1943, the northern terminus was cut back to US 72. MS 5 was completely paved by 1951 and has retained its current alignment since then.
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MS 5 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MDOT | ||||
| Length | 24.300 mi[1] (39.107 km) | |||
| Existed | 1932–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  MS 178 in Hickory Flat | |||
 MS 2 near Hickory Flat MS 4 in Ashland | ||||
| North end |  US 72 near Michigan City | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties | Benton | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
MS 5 begins at an intersection with MS 178 in the community of Hickory Flat, which is within the Holly Springs National Forest.[2] The route heads north from this point on a two-lane undivided road through dense forests with some fields and homes.[1] After a junction with the western terminus of MS 2, the highway continues through rural land and passes a few lakes.[2][1] After crossing the Tippah River, MS 5 reaches the MS 4 intersection and forms a concurrency with that route.[2]
The two routes leave the boundaries of the Holly Springs National Forest, passing through a mix of farmland and woodland with some homes and coming to the community of Ashland. Here, MS 4 splits from MS 5 by turning to the west, and MS 5 becomes Boundary Drive, which runs by businesses and homes. The road intersects the western terminus of MS 370 before it leaves Ashland.[2][1] The route heads into agricultural areas with some woodland and homes, making a turn to the northwest before resuming north.[1] MS 5 comes to its northern terminus at an intersection with US 72 located to the south of Michigan City.[2] MS 5 is legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3.[3] The entire length of MS 5 is designated a scenic route by Chapter 316, Senate Bill 2547, Laws 1989.[4]
History
What is now MS 5 originally existed as an unnumbered unpaved road by 1928.[5] The MS 5 designation was assigned by 1932 for the road running from US 78 in Hickory Flat to the Tennessee border in Michigan City, where it connected to SR 18. This road was a gravel road south of Ashland and an earth road north of Ashland.[6] Two years later, the portion north of Ashland became a gravel road.[7] In 1943, the northern terminus of MS 5 was cut back to its current location at US 72, with MS 7 connecting to SR 18 at the Tennessee border.[8] By 1948, the portion of route south of Ashland was paved.[9] The remainder of the route was paved three years later.[10] Since then, the route has not undergone any alignment changes.[2]
Major intersections
The entire route is in Benton County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Flat | 0.0 | 0.0 |  MS 178 to US 78 – New Albany, Holly Springs | Southern terminus | |
| | 0.3 | 0.48 | MS 2 east – Blue Mountain | Western terminus of western segment of MS 2 | |
| | 9.2 | 14.8 | MS 4 east – Ripley | South end of MS 4 overlap | |
| Ashland | 15.5 | 24.9 | MS 4 west – Holly Springs | North end of MS 4 overlap | |
| 16.0 | 25.7 |  MS 370 east (Ripley Avenue) – Ashland | Western terminus of MS 370 | ||
| | 24.3 | 39.1 | US 72 – Memphis, Corinth | Northern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- Google (June 14, 2010). "overview of Mississippi Highway 5" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- Mississippi Department of Transportation (2011). Official Highway Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Mississippi Code Of 1972 As Amended - SEC. 65-3-3. State highways designated., Mississippi Legislature, archived from the original on June 10, 2011, retrieved June 3, 2010
- "Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Transportation. 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Mississippi State Highway Department (1928). Condition Map of State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Mississippi State Highway Department (1932). Road Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Mississippi State Highway Department (1934). Road Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Mississippi State Highway Department (1943). Road Map of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Department. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Mississippi State Highway Commission (1948). Official Road Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- Mississippi State Highway Commission (1951). Official Road Map State of Mississippi (PDF) (Map). Jackson: Mississippi State Highway Commission. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
