North Carolina Highway 43
Route of NC 43 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length	119.6 mi[1] (192.5 km)
Existed	1928–present
Major junctions
South end	US 17 / US 70 near New Bern
Major intersections	US 17 near Vanceboro US 13 in Greenville US 264 in Greenville US 64 in Rocky Mount US 301 in Rocky Mount I-95 in Dortches
North end	NC 58 near Warrenton
Location
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Craven, Pitt, Edgecombe, Nash, Halifax, Warren
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← NC 42 → NC 45

North Carolina Highway 43 (NC 43) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. 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.^[2] 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, avoiding Hollister.^[3] In 1958, NC 43 was rerouted in the downtown Greenville area, leaving behind: Charles Avenue, 10th Street, Albemarle Street and 5th Street.^[4]

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.^[5] In 1998, NC 43 was rerouted onto new connector in downtown Rocky Mount.^[6] In 2001, NC 43 was rerouted onto northern bypass route around Rocky Mount, leaving behind NC 43 Bus.^[7] In 2009, NC 43 was rerouted onto new road between NC 55 and US 17/US 70, eliminating its routing through New Bern.^[8]

Future

NCDOT currently plans to extend NC 43 from its current southern terminus at US 17/US 70 southward to US 17 Business outside of New Bern. Part of the right-of-way south of the current NC 43 terminus has already been built; the southern part of right-of-way will be on Trent Creek Road. Construction is set to begin in 2025.^[9]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Craven	New Bern	0.0– 0.3	0.0– 0.48		Future I-42 / US 17 / US 70 – Morehead City, Kinston, Jacksonville	Exit 411 (US 70)
		2.1	3.4		NC 55 (Neuse Boulevard) – Kinston
	​	10.8	17.4		US 17 south / Macedonia Church Road – New Bern	Southern end of US 17 concurrency
	​	14.3	23.0		US 17 north / US 17 Bus. begins – Washington	Northern end of US 17 concurrency; Southern end of US 17 Bus. Concurrency
	Vanceboro	16.4	26.4		US 17 Bus. north (Main Street) – Washington	Northern end of US 17 Bus. Concurrency
		16.9	27.2		NC 118 west / Bailey Lane – Grifton	Eastern terminus of NC 118
Pitt	Calico	26.1	42.0		NC 102 – Ayden, Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station
	Greenville	40.3	64.9		US 264 Alt. east (Greenville Boulevard) / Charles Boulevard – Washington	Southern end of US 264 Alt. concurrency
		42.6	68.6		US 264 Alt. west (Greenville Boulevard) / NC 11 south / NC 903 south (Memorial Drive) – Farmville, Wilson, Kinston	Northern end of US 264 Alt. concurrency; Southern end of NC 11/NC; 903 concurrency
		44.5	71.6		US 13 south (Dickinson Avenue) – Farmville	Southern end of US 13 concurrency
		45.5	73.2		US 13 north / NC 11 north / NC 903 north (Memorial Drive) / 5th Street – Bethel	Northern end of US 13/NC 11/NC 903 concurrencies
	​	48.0– 48.2	77.2– 77.6		US 264 / NC 11 Byp. – Washington, Wilson	Exit 75 (US 264)
	Bruce	52.4	84.3		NC 121 south – Farmville	Northern terminus of NC 121
	​	54.0	86.9		NC 222 east – [[, North Carolina|]]	Southern end of NC 222 concurrency
	Falkland	54.9	88.4		NC 222 west (West Avenue) / Crisp Street – Fountain	Northern end of NC 222 concurrency
Edgecombe	​	61.9	99.6		NC 42 north – Conetoe	Western end of NC 42 concurrency
	​	62.0	99.8		NC 124 west – Macclesfield	Eastern terminus of NC 124
	​	63.2	101.7		US 258 – Tarboro, Princeville, Kinston
	Pinetops	65.1	104.8		NC 122 (2nd Street)
		65.3	105.1		NC 42 south (Halmet Street) / 3rd Street	Northern end of NC 42 concurrency
	​	66.9	107.7		NC 111
	​	78.0	125.5		NC 43 Bus. north – [[, North Carolina|]]	Southern terminus of NC 43 Bus.
	Rocky Mount	80.1	128.9		US 64 Alt. east / Springfield Road	Southern end of US 64 Alt. concurrency
		80.4– 80.7	129.4– 129.9	472	US 64 east / US 64 Alt. ends / US 64 Bus. west (Raleigh Boulevard) – Tarboro	Northern end of US 64 Alt. concurrency; Southern end of US 64 concurrency; Eastern terminus of US 64 Bus.
		82.2– 82.4	132.3– 132.6	470	NC 97 (Atlantic Avenue) – [[, North Carolina|]], [[, North Carolina|]]
Nash		82.8– 83.0	133.3– 133.6	469	US 301 Bus. (Church Street)
		83.4– 83.6	134.2– 134.5	468B	NC 48 south / NC 43 Bus. south (Peachtree Street/Fall Road) – Raleigh	Northern end of US 64 concurrency; Southern end of NC 48 concurrency; Northern terminus of NC 43 Bus.
		84.1– 84.3	135.3– 135.7		US 301 (Wesleyan Boulevard) – Weldon, Wilson	Interchange
		84.8	136.5		NC 48 north (Goldrock Road)	Northern end of NC 48 concurrency
	Dortches	88.5– 88.7	142.4– 142.7		I-95 – Roanoke Rapids, Wilson	Exit 141 (I-95)
Halifax	​	106.0	170.6		NC 561 west – Louisburg	Southern end of NC 561 concurrency
	Essex	108.0	173.8		NC 561 east / Evans Road/Lynch Road – Halifax	Northern end of NC 561 concurrency
Warren	Liberia	119.6	192.5		NC 58 – Warrenton, Centerville
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

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.^[7]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[10]	km	Destinations	Notes
Edgecombe	​	0.0	0.0	NC 43 (Springfield Road/Cokey Road) – Pinetops, Greenville
	Rocky Mount	2.7	4.3	US 64 Bus. (Raleigh Boulevard)
		3.5	5.6	NC 97 (Atlantic Avenue)
Nash		3.8	6.1	US 301 Bus. (Church Street)
		3.9	6.3	NC 48 south (Falls Road/Grace Street)	Southern end of NC 48 concurrency (one way pair)
		5.0	8.0	US 64 / NC 43 / NC 48 north (Benvenue Road) – Tarboro, Raleigh	Exit 468B (US 64); Northern end of NC 48 concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

In popular culture

North Carolina Highway 43 (NC 43) is used by people travelling to and from Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show. Notable episodes that reference NC 43 are "Andy's English Valet", "Man In a Hurry" and "Gomer Saves the Day^[11]".