At the end of 2000, there were 2,707 rail mi (4,356 km) of mainline railroad track in the state, including 2,011 mi (3,236 km) operated by Class I railroads, which, in 2000, included the Burlington Northern, CSX, Illinois Central, Kansas City Southern, and Norfolk Southern lines. Rail passenger service providers include the City of New Orleans, which operates over Illinois Central's rails and serves the cities of Greenwood, Yazoo, Jackson, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven, and McComb in Mississippi on its route between Chicago and New Orleans; and the Crescent, which operates over the Norfolk Southern rail line and serves Meridian, Laurel, Hattiesburg, and Picayune in Mississippi on its route between Atlanta and New Orleans.
Mississippi had 73,498 mi (118,283 km) of public roads—65,443 mi (105,320 km) rural and 8,055 mi (12,963 km) urban—as of 2000. Interstate highways 55, running north–south, and 20, running east–west, intersect at Jackson. I-220 provides a loop from I-55 north of Jackson to I-20 west of Jackson. I-10 runs across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and I-110 provides a connector from I-10 to US Highway 90 in Biloxi. I-59 runs diagonally through the southeastern corner of Mississippi from Meridian to New Orleans.
Mileage of four-lane highways is increasing daily under a "payas-you-go" public works program passed by the Mississippi legislature in 1987 to provide a four-lane highway within 30 minutes or 30 mi (48 km) of every citizen in the state. Originally, the $1.6 billion, three-phase agenda called for the creation of four lanes for 1,077 mi (1,733 km) of highway by the year 2001. During the 1994 regular legislative session, an additional 619 mi (996 km), known as Phase IV, were added to the program at an expected cost of $1.3 billion. As of 1996, 322 mi (518 km) of new four-lane highway were in place with an additional 332 mi (534 km) under contract. In 2000, there were 2,007,746 licensed drivers in Mississippi and 2,321,270 registered motor vehicles, including 1,318,648 automobiles and 960,389 trucks.
Mississippi's ports and waterways serve a surrounding 16-state market where nearly 40% of the nation's total population is located. Mississippi has two deepwater seaports, Gulfport and Pascagoula, both located on the Gulf of Mexico. In 2000, Gulfport handled 2.2 million tons of cargo, and Pascagoula handled 28.6 million tons. Much of Pascagoula's heavy volume consists of oil and gas imports. Other ports located on the Gulf include Port Bienville in Hancock County and Biloxi in Harrison County. Biloxi handled 2.5 million tons of cargo in 2000.
The Mississippi River flows along the western border of the state, linking the Gulf of Mexico to inland river states as far away as Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Mississippi is the largest commercial river in the country and the 3rd-largest river system in the world, and it carries the majority of the nation's inland waterway tonnage. Approximately 409 mi (658 km) of the Mississippi River flow through the state, with ports in Natchez, Vicksburg, Yazoo County, Greenville, and Rosedale. In 2000, the Port of Vicksburg handled 5 million tons of cargo; the Port of Greenville, 3.1 million tons.
To the east of Mississippi lies the Tennessee-Tombigbee (Tenn-Tom) Waterway, completed in 1984, which links the Tennessee and Ohio rivers with the Gulf of Mexico. Stretching 95 mi (153 km) through Mississippi from the northeast corner of the state down to a point just south of Columbus, the Tenn-Tom Waterway's overall length is 232 mi (373 km). Five local ports are located on the waterway: Yellow Creek, Itawamba, Amory, Aberdeen, and Columbus-Lowndes County. In 1999, about 10 million tons of commodities were shipped on the Tenn-Tom Waterway, compared with 8.9 million tons in 1996, 8.7 million tons in 1995, and 7.9 million tons in 1994.
In 2002, there were 76 public-use airports in Mississippi. They provide access to the nation's system of airports and are a major factor in the economic development of the state and of the communities where they are located. In addition, there are approximately 108 airports and 35 heliports in the state that are for private use.