Mississippi Highway 446

{{Infobox road

| state =MS

| type =MS

| route =446

| map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-lat=33.6971 |frame-long=-90.8559|zoom=10|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Mississippi Highway 446}}}}

| map_custom=yes

| map_notes=MS 446 highlighted in pink

| alternate_name=Margaret A. Green Memorial Highway

| length_mi =15.206

| length_km =

| length_round =

| length_ref ={{Cite report |author=Mississippi Department of Transportation Planning Division |date=December 31, 2018 |title=Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics Extent, Travel, and Designation

|url=https://mdot.ms.gov/documents/Planning/Statistics/Book/2018%20MDOT%20Public%20Roads%20Statistics%20Extent,%20Travel,%20and%20Designation.pdf |publisher=Mississippi Department of Transportation |access-date=April 23, 2021 |page=161}}

| established =1955

| direction_a =West

| terminus_a ={{Jct|state=MS|MS|1}} south of Lobdell

| junction =

| direction_b =East

| terminus_b ={{Jct|state=MS|US|61|US|278}} in Boyle

| previous_type =MS

| previous_route =444

| next_type =MS

| next_route =448

| counties=Bolivar

}}

Mississippi Highway 446 (MS 446) is a state highway in northwest Mississippi. The route starts at MS 1 near Lobdell, and it travels east through the Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge and Skene. The road enters Boyle, traveling through the center of the town as a boulevard. The route ends at U.S. Route 61 (US 61) and US 278 on the eastern side of Boyle, and the road continues as Peavine Road. The highway was designated in 1955 along its current alignment, after the state had funded projects to improve the preexisting county road. The route was fully paved in asphalt by 1957.

Route description

{{tv-b|note=Data was measured in 2019 in terms of AADT|source=Mississippi Department of Transportation{{cite web |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation |title = MDOT Traffic Count Application |url = http://mdot.ms.gov/applications/trafficcounters/ |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |access-date = April 24, 2021 |date = 2019 }}}}

All of MS 446 is located within Bolivar County.{{Cite map |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation |url = https://mdot.ms.gov/documents/Planning/Maps/County%20Highway/Bolivar.pdf |title = Bolivar County, Mississippi |scale = c. 1:90,000 |location = Jackson |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |year = 2018 |format = PDF |access-date = April 24, 2021 }} The route is legally defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3,{{cite web |work = Mississippi Code of 1972 as Amended |title = Sec. 65-3-3: State Highways Designated |url = http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/mscode/ |author = Mississippi Legislature |author-link = Mississippi Legislature |publisher = Mississippi Legislature |via = LexisNexis |access-date = April 24, 2021 }} and all of it is maintained by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), as part of the Mississippi State Highway System.

MS 446 starts at a T-intersection with MS 1 south of Lobdell and travels eastward through farmland.{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/33.7034436,-90.9830449/33.7039919,-90.719066/@33.7027689,-90.9080147,25051m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en|title=Mississippi Highway 446|access-date=April 24, 2021}} East of Neblett Road, the route enters the Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge. An entrance to the visitor center is located on the road. Near Woodruff Road, MS 446 leaves the refuge and crosses over Bogue Phalia. The route continues traveling through farmland and crosses over smaller creeks. The road intersects Shaw–Skene Road at the unincorporated area of Skene. The route enters the town of Boyle east of Cypress Drive,{{Cite map |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation |url = https://mdot.ms.gov/documents/Planning/Maps/City%20Maps/Cleveland-Boyle.pdf |title = Cleveland–Boyle, Mississippi |scale = c. 1:9,996 |location = Jackson |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |year = 2005 |format = PDF |access-date = April 24, 2021 }} and turns into a boulevard near the center of the town. Known as T.M. Jones Highway inside the town, the road crosses over Jones Bayou near Bayou Avenue. The route ends at US 61 and US 278, and the road continues eastward as Peavine Road.

History

In late 1948, the Mississippi State Highway Commission began letting projects along a county road traversing from Lobdell to Boyle within Bolivar County. The first project was proposed in November, for grading and gravel surfacing a {{convert|2.82|mi|km|adj=on}} section of the road.{{cite news |title=New State Highway Letting On Nov. 30 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76369886/clarion-ledger/ |access-date=April 24, 2021 |work=The Clarion-Ledger |date=November 14, 1948 |location=Jackson, Mississippi |page=12|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}} One month later, another project to grade and surface another {{convert|10.86|mi|km|adj=on}} section was proposed.{{cite news |title=Belzoni-Swifttown Road Contract Let |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76372059/the-greenwood-commonwealth/ |access-date=April 21, 2021 |work=The Greenwood Commonwealth |date=December 1, 1948 |location=Greenwood, Mississippi |page=1|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}} In February 1955, MS 446 was designated for a highway in Bolivar County, along with the name "Margaret A. Green Memorial Highway".{{cite news |title=Surtax Bill Passed By House; Governor Hopeful Of Senate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76369506/clarion-ledger/ |access-date=April 24, 2021 |work=The Claion-Ledger |date=February 24, 1955 |location=Jackson, Mississippi |page=18|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}} A project to pave {{convert|10.452|mi|km}} of the road in asphalt began one month later,{{cite news |title=Mississippi State Highway Department Notice To Contractors |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76370201/clarion-ledger/ |access-date=April 24, 2021 |work=The Clarion-Ledger |date=March 14, 1955 |location=Jackson, Mississippi |page=13|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}} with a cost of $216,156 ({{inflation|US|216156|1955|fmt=eq}}).{{cite news |title=Bolivar, Washington County Contracts Let |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76370119/the-delta-democrat-times/ |access-date=April 24, 2021 |work=The Delta Democrat-Times |agency=United Press International |date=March 23, 1955 |location=Greenville, Mississippi |page=2|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}} By 1956, the route was added to the state highway map, starting from MS 1 and ending at US 61. The majority of road was paved in gravel, and a small section near Boyle paved in asphalt.{{Mississippi road map|year=1955|access-date=April 24, 2021}}{{Mississippi road map|year=1956|access-date=April 24, 2021}} One year later, all of the route was paved in asphalt.{{Mississippi road map|year=1957|access-date=April 24, 2021}} In 1990, the Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge was created, spanning over parts of MS 446.{{cite news |title=New preserve |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76370284/enterprise-journal/ |access-date=April 24, 2021 |work=Enterprise-Journal |agency=Associated Press |date=May 13, 1990 |location=McComb, Mississippi |page=12|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}