Coming to fruition within the last few years are two new state highway alignments in Harrison County, Mississippi. The first is Mississippi 605, a highway designated along the previously unnumbered Lorraine and Cowan Roads between U.S. 90 and Interstate 10 and northward onto a new four-lane facility to Mississippi 67 at Traditions Parkway. Second is the new four-lane alignment of Mississippi 67, a 19-mile route with expresswaylike characteristics between U.S. 49 north of Saucier and the Interstate 10/110 interchange at D’Iberville. Relocated Mississippi 67 joins Mississippi 15 at a new trumpet interchange north of the Biloxi city limits with the two sharing pavement south to a joint end at Interstate 110. Mississippi 15 south of Interstate 10 is decommissioned, though most signs along the freeway still include the co-sign.

Mississippi 15 southbound at the new trumpet interchange with Mississippi 67.

Mississippi 67 was fully opened to traffic after a ribbon cutting ceremony on January 16, 2009. Work on the nine-miles leading northwest to U.S. 49 from Traditions Parkway opened to traffic by May 14, 2008. The final section entailed ten miles between Mississippi 605 and Mississippi 15 north of Woolmarket. The highway cost $72 million and took six years to complete.

Heading northbound at the off-ramp to Mississippi 605 south and Tradition Parkway north.

New Mississippi 605 opened on December 20, 2006 as an extension of Cowan-Lorraine Road 8.2 miles north to Mississippi 67 at the planned Traditions community. The new road cost $16 million and presently is mostly undeveloped. http://www.gomdot.com/Home/Projects/Facts/Southern/Hwy605I10Hwy67/Home.aspx

One mile south of the interchange with Mississippi 67 on Mississippi 605 northbound.

Traditions is a master-planned community entailing over 4,000 acres of currently undeveloped lands adjacent to the six-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange between Mississippi 67 and 605. Tradition Parkway ties into the exit as a four-lane parkway by the new St. Patrick High School. The parkway curves north and west from that junction, meeting Mississippi 67 again at an at-grade intersection northwest of the planned town center. See the site plan here http://www.traditionms.com/tradition/4800_Acre_Map.pdf for what’s in store.

The southbound beginning of Mississippi 67 as the highway leaves U.S. 49 via a trumpet interchange.

Future plans in the preliminary stages involve an upgrade of the Interstate 10/110/Mississippi 67 full-cloverleaf interchange at D’Iberville. Potential work will replace the westbound to southbound loop ramp with a flyover, add a collector/distributor roadway to Interstate 10 east for ramps to/from the north-south road, and add ramps to Old Highway 15 (half-diamond interchange) and Lamey Bridge Road to serve the adjacent Lakeview Village and Biloxi Promenade shopping centers. Further work will replace the intersection with Sangania Boulevard north of Interstate 10 with a folded-diamond interchange. More information on these projects can be found here http://www.gomdot.com/Home/Projects/Studies/Southern/I110Interchange/Home.aspx
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Westbound Interstate 10 at the Exit 46B off-ramp to Mississippi 15 & 67 north. Note that the Exit 46A panels no longer reflect the overlap of Mississippi 15 south with Interstate 110. Signs at the south end of Interstate 110 now include “TO MS-67” instead of MS-15.

All photos taken 03/29/09 by Alex Nitzman and Brent Ivy.

Sources

  1. “Highway 67 now open for 19 miles.” WLOX, January 17, 2009.
  2. “Part of New Hwy 67 to Open Next Week.” WLOX, May 9, 2008.
  3. “New Road Opened with Casino Road Tax Money Won’t Help Biloxi Casino Traffic Congestion.” GulfCoastNews.com, December 21, 2006.