Mississippi Highway 53

{{short description|Highway in Mississippi}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{good article}}

{{Infobox road

|state=MS

|type=MS

|route=53

|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-lat=30.6267 |frame-long=-89.3250|zoom=9|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Mississippi Highway 53}}}}

|map_custom=yes

|map_notes=MS 53 highlighted in red

|length_mi=38.92

|length_ref={{cite report |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation Planning Division |date = December 31, 2014 |title = Mississippi Public Roads Selected Statistics Extent, Travel, and Designation |url = http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Programs/Statistics%20Book/2015%20MDOT%20Public%20Roads%20Statistics%20Extent%2C%20Travel%2C%20and%20Designation.pdf |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |page = 167 |access-date = March 14, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170312193835/http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Programs/Statistics%20Book/2015%20MDOT%20Public%20Roads%20Statistics%20Extent%2C%20Travel%2C%20and%20Designation.pdf |archive-date = March 12, 2017 |url-status = dead }}

|established=1950

|decommissioned=

|direction_a=South

|terminus_a={{jct|state=MS|US|49}} in Gulfport

|junction={{jct|state=MS|I|59}} in Poplarville

|direction_b=North

|terminus_b={{jct|state=MS|US|11|MS|26}} in Poplarville

|counties=Pearl River, Hancock, Harrison

|previous_type=US

|previous_route=51

|next_type=I

|next_route=55

}}

Mississippi Highway 53 (MS 53) is a state highway in Mississippi. The highway starts at U.S. Highway 49 (US 49) in Gulfport and travels northwestward to MS 603 in Hancock County. The road then travels north to Poplarville, meeting Interstate 59 (I-59). MS 53 ends at MS 26 and US 11 in southwestern Poplarville. The road that became MS 53 has existed since 1928, and the highway was designated in 1950. The highway was completely paved by 1957, and an interchange was created at I-59 in 1967.

Route description

{{tv-t|name=Mississippi Highway 53|align=left}}

{{tv-r|East of Old US 49|8,100}}

{{tv-r|East of Dawnland Drive|7,200}}

{{tv-r|West of Forestry Road|5,500}}

{{tv-r|Northwest of Wallace Saucier Road|2,500}}

{{tv-r|West of Tally Shaw Road|1,600}}

{{tv-r|Northwest of Dogwood Lane|2,800}}

{{tv-r|South of Progress Road|2,900}}

{{tv-r|Northwest of Herb Gentry Road|7,000}}

{{tv-r|Southeast of Industrial Drive|6,800}}

{{tv-r|East of US 11|8,100}}

{{tv-b|note=Data was measured in 2015 in terms of AADT|source={{cite web |title = MDOT Traffic Count Application |url = http://mdot.ms.gov/applications/trafficcounters/ |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |access-date = March 27, 2017 |date = 2015 }}}}

MS 53 is located in Harrison, Hancock, and Pearl River counties.{{cite map |url = http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Maps/County%20Highway%20Maps/Harrison.pdf |title = Harrison County, Mississippi |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |year = 2014 |format = PDF |access-date = March 27, 2017 |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation }}{{cite map |url = http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Maps/County%20Highway%20Maps/Hancock.pdf |title = Hancock County, Mississippi |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |year = 2015 |format = PDF |access-date = March 27, 2017 |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140514204000/http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Maps/County%20Highway%20Maps/Hancock.pdf |archive-date = May 14, 2014 |url-status = dead }}{{cite map |url = http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Maps/County%20Highway%20Maps/Pearl%20River.pdf |title = Pearl River County, Mississippi |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |year = 2015 |format = PDF |access-date = March 27, 2017 |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140514204635/http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Maps/County%20Highway%20Maps/Pearl%20River.pdf |archive-date = May 14, 2014 |url-status = dead }} The highway 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/ |publisher = Mississippi Legislature |access-date = January 1, 2017 |date = 2016 }} as part of the state highway system. The section from US 49 to MS 26 is known as the Larkin I. Smith Memorial Highway.

The highway starts at its intersection with US 49 and North Swan Road in northern Gulfport. The road travels westward towards the unincorporated area of Lyman after crossing over a KCS Railway railroad. MS 53 travels northwestward through Lizana and rural western Harrison County. At Herman Ladner Road, the highway turns westward and crosses the Wolf River, entering Hancock County.

Near Sellers in Hancock County, the road travels northwest to its T-intersection at MS 603. MS 53 turns northward at the intersection, and shifts westward at Dogwood Lane, south of the county line. The highway enters Pearl River County past Road 205. Once inside Pearl River County, the road intersects multiple private driveways through the farmland. At Savannah, MS 53 intersects Savannah Millard Road, which has an interchange at I-59. Past Jesse Wells and Restertown Roads, the highway intersects a road that leads to the Poplarville-Pearl River County Airport. The highway enters Poplarville near the diamond interchange at I-59,{{cite map |url = http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/Maps/City%20Maps/Poplarville.pdf |title = Poplarville, Mississippi |publisher = Mississippi Department of Transportation |year = 2008 |format = PDF |access-date = April 2, 2017 |author = Mississippi Department of Transportation }} and it becomes concurrent with MS 26. MS 53 ends at US 11 after crossing a Norfolk Southern railroad and Jumpoff Creek.

File:Highway 53 in Lizana - panoramio.jpg

History

The road that became MS 53 existed at least since 1928, as a gravel road from Lyman to Poplarville.{{Mississippi road map |year = 1928 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }} A small section of the road near Poplarville was paved in 1939.{{Mississippi road map |year = January 1939 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}{{Mississippi road map |year = July 1939 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }} By 1948, a few miles of the road near Lyman was paved,{{Mississippi road map |year = 1946 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}{{Mississippi road map |year = 1948 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }} and MS 53 was designated along the road two years later.{{Mississippi road map |year = 1949 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}{{Mississippi road map |year = 1950 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }} Almost all of MS 53 in Harrison County was paved by 1953. A small portion in Pearl River County was also paved during this time.{{Mississippi road map |year = July 1952 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}{{Mississippi road map |year = 1953 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }} The Pearl River section of the highway was near completely paved by 1956,{{Mississippi road map |year = 1955 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}{{Mississippi road map |year = 1956 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }} and all of the highway was completely paved one year later.{{Mississippi road map |year = 1957 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }} By 1967, an interchange was created at I-59 and MS 53.{{Mississippi road map |year = 1965 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}{{Mississippi road map |year = 1967 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}

Major intersections

{{jcttop|length_ref={{Google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/dir/30.5000838,-89.1066056/30.8339944,-89.5436605/@30.6789306,-89.4652379,42551m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en |title = Overview Map of Mississippi Highway 53 |access-date = March 14, 2017 }}}}

{{MSint

|county=Harrison

|location=Gulfport

|mile=0.0

|road={{Jct|state=MS|US|49|city1=Wiggins|city2=Gulfport}}

|notes=Southern terminus

}}

{{MSint

|county=Hancock

|location=none

|mile=21.2

|road={{Jct|state=MS|MS|603|dir1=south|city1=Kiln|city2=Bay St. Louis}}

|notes=Northern terminus of MS 603

}}

{{MSint

|county=Pearl River

|cspan=3

|location=Poplarville

|lspan=3

|mile=36.8

|mile2=37.0

|road={{Jct|state=MS|I|59|location1=New Orleans|city2=Hattiesburg}}

|notes=I-59 exit 27; Diamond interchange

}}

{{MSint

|mile=38.9

|road={{Jct|state=MS|MS|26|dir1=east|location1=Bogalusa|city2=Wiggins}}

|type=concur

|notes={{ccr-end|South|MS 26}}

}}

{{MSint

|mile=39.7

|road={{Jct|state=MS|US|11|MS|26|dir2=west|location1=Bogalusa|city2=Picayune|city3=Lumberton}}

|type=concur

|notes={{ccr-end|North|MS 26}}; northern terminus

}}

{{jctbtm|keys=concur}}

References

{{reflist|30em}}