Route 43 is a

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

in western

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Its northern terminus is at

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific and ...

midway between

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and Deerfield. Its southern terminus is at the corner of Missouri (near Southwest City),

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

where it continues down the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line as both

Arkansas Highway 43 Highway 43 (AR 43, Ark. 43, and Hwy. 43) is a designation for three north–south state highways in Arkansas. One segment of runs from Highway 264 in Siloam Springs north into Delaware County, Oklahoma along Oklahoma St ...

and

Oklahoma State Highway 20 State Highway 20 (abbreviated SH-20) is a highway in northeastern Oklahoma. Its eastern terminus is at the corner of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri near Southwest City, Missouri; its western terminus is at State Highway 18 near Ralston. The h ...

.''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1998, First edition, pp. 42, 50, and 60,

Route description

North of Joplin, Route 43 is a relatively straight highway. It intersects

U.S. Route 160 U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a 1,465 mile (2,358 km) long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 five miles (8 km) west of Tuba City, Arizo ...

in Barton County west of Lamar. A few miles south of there it intersects Route 126. Just north of Joplin, it intersects Route 96. In Joplin, the highway is known as Main Street and passes through the old historic downtown area. For a few blocks, it is historic

US Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

until it reaches Seventh Street (

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

), where Route 66 goes west. It joins Business Loop I-44 until it reaches

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fal ...

, then joins this road for one exit west, then turns south again. When Route 43 reaches Seneca (where it has a junction with U.S. Route 60), it comes within a half mile of Oklahoma and stays relatively close to it all the way to the intersection with Route 76 east of Tiff City. All through this area, the highway becomes more hilly and curvy. The road serves as the western terminus of Route 90 just before reaching Southwest City. South of Southwest City, the highway runs less than a mile before reaching the corner of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma becoming the concurrency of

. A stone marker is erected at the corner of the three states.

Major intersections

Related route

Seneca truck route

Route 43 Truck is used to bypass a steep grade on Route 43 just south of

Seneca, Missouri Seneca is a city in western Newton County, Missouri, Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. Located on the southwest border of the state, the city is part of the Joplin, Missouri Joplin, Missouri Metrop ...

. This route is unsigned and concourrs with US 60 Bus.

References

{{Reflist 043 Transportation in Barton County, Missouri