North Carolina Highway 43 (NC 43) is a primary
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. It connects many towns in the
Coastal Plain region.
Route description
History
NC 43 was established around 1928 as a new primary routing between
US 17-1/
NC 40, in
Rocky Mount, and
NC 58, in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coastâ ...
. In 1931, NC 43 was extended southeast on new primary routing, through
Pinetops, to
Greenville; then replaced
NC 301 to
US 17/
NC 30, in
Vanceboro. Around 1936, NC 43 was rerouted onto new roadway at
Essex
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
, avoiding
Hollister. In 1958, NC 43 was rerouted in the downtown Greenville area, leaving behind: Charles Avenue, 10th Street, Albemarle Street and 5th Street.
In 1987, NC 43 was extended south of Vanceboro along
US 17 Business and US 17 to Weyerhaeuser Road. Traveling along Weyerhaeuser Road, it connects and overlap with
NC 55 going into
New Bern; then with
US 70 Business and southward to
US 70 and US 17. The resulting new routing made a western rural bypass of New Bern. In 1998, NC 43 was rerouted onto new connector in downtown Rocky Mount. In 2001, NC 43 was rerouted onto northern bypass route around Rocky Mount, leaving behind NC 43 Bus.
[ In 2009, NC 43 was rerouted onto new road between NC 55 and US 17/US 70, eliminating its routing through New Bern.
]
Major intersections
Special routes
Rocky Mount business loop
North Carolina Highway 43 Business (NC 43 Bus) was established in 2001, when NC 43 was rerouted to bypass north of downtown Rocky Mount. The business loop travels along Cokey Road, Fairview Road, Grand Avenue, Grace Street and Falls Road.
In popular culture
North Carolina Highway 43 (NC 43) is used by people travelling to and from Mayberry
Mayberry, North Carolina, is a fictional community that was the setting for two popular American television sitcoms, ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960–1968) and ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (1968–1971); Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reuni ...
on ''The Andy Griffith Show
''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom, situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in colo ...
''. Notable episodes that reference NC 43 are "Andy's English Valet", "Man In a Hurry" and "Gomer Saves the Day
References
External links
*{{commonscat-inline
NCRoads.com: N.C. 43
043
Transportation in Craven County, North Carolina
Transportation in Pitt County, North Carolina
Transportation in Edgecombe County, North Carolina
Transportation in Nash County, North Carolina
Transportation in Halifax County, North Carolina
Transportation in Warren County, North Carolina