is a short

autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The motorway crosses the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

River, connecting the cities of

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

and

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

, the capital cities of the German states of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

and

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, respectively. It is one of two autobahns in Germany that connect two neighboring state capitals in only one exit. However short the A 643 may be, it is a vital link within the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region, being only one of three routes across the Rhine in the region. It is an important connection between Autobahn 66 on the north bank of the Rhine and A 60 south of Mainz.

History

The A 643 was built in 1966, together with the Mainz Ring Road, the A 60. The original plan for the highway included a section from Wiesbaden to

Taunusstein Taunusstein () is the biggest town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany. It has 30,068 inhabitants (2020). Geography Location Taunusstein lies roughly 10 km northwest of Wiesbaden and abo ...

-Neuhof, replacing a section of Bundesstraße 417. This project was never realized.

Route

The A 643 begins at the Dotzheim Interchange in Wiesbaden as a continuation of Schiersteiner Straße (Bundesstraße 262) to and from the city center (alternatively, southbound traffic on Schiersteiner Straße can continue on Saarstraße/''

Kreisstraße A Kreisstraße (literally: "district road" or "county road") is a class of road in Germany. It carries traffic between the towns and villages within a '' Kreis'' or district or between two neighbouring districts. In importance, the ''Kreisstraße ...

'' 645 to

Schierstein Schierstein is a southwestern borough of Wiesbaden, capital of state of Hesse, Germany. First mentioned in historical records in 860, Schierstein was incorporated into Wiesbaden in 1926. Today the borough has about 10,000 residents. Situated on the ...

). This interchange also includes an exit ramp to Erich-Ollenhauser Straße (K 655), which leads northwest to Wiesbaden-Dotzheim and southeast to Biebrich. The A 643 soon intersects with the A 66 at Schiersteiner Kreuz. It crosses the border with Rhineland-Palatinate on the Rhine with the

Schierstein Bridge The Schierstein Bridge (German: ''Schiersteiner Brücke'') is long, four-lane highway bridge in Germany. It carries Bundesautobahn 643 over the Rhine River between Mainz-Mombach, Rhineland-Palatinate and Wiesbaden-Schierstein, Hesse (Rhine kilome ...

. It then leads to the Hochstraße Lenneberg in the Mainz district of Mombach, through the

Mainz Sand Dunes The Mainz Sand Dunes (german: Großer Sand) are a small geological and botanical supra-region and important nature preserve in Mainz, Germany. Within this protected area rare plants and animals can be found. Some of the species represented here, suc ...

nature reserve, and ends at the Mainz Dreieck in the A 60.

Exit list

External links

643 Transport in Mainz Transport in Wiesbaden {{Germany-road-stub