Tennessee State Route 43
Encyclopedia
State Route 43 is a south to north highway in Tennessee
that is 56.79 miles (91.39 km) long. It begins in Madison County and ends in Obion County. State Route 43 is little-known by the general public by this designation as it is overlain by U.S. Route 45E for most of its length; the "43" designation is seen largely on mileposts. Two short sections of this route at Martin
and South Fulton
is fully signed.
, which either overlies or bypasses its original route. It begins at Three Way
as a divided four-lane, overlain by US 45E, bypasses Medina
, and goes through Milan
as an undivided four-lane. SR 43 from its southern terminus to Milan is designated as a STRAHNET connector route servicing the Milan Arsenal. North of Milan, it becomes divided again and bypasses Bradford
, passes through Greenfield
undivided, divides again and bypasses Sharon
.
At Martin, SR 43 breaks free from US 45E as a signed highway and bypasses Martin to the west. This road is the original US 45E around Martin, TN. It is not limited access, and because of its location, it could not easily be converted into a four-lane limited access highway in the 1990s. As a result, a new divided, limited-access four-lane US 45E was constructed around the east side of Martin where more land was available, and the original SR 43 designation was revealed on signposts.
North of Martin, SR 43 rejoins US 45E and continues as an undivided four-lane highway to South Fulton, where it breaks free again and follows the original US 45E Business Route through town to the Kentucky
state line while 45E bypasses to the west.
(SR 76
) in Milan from its junction with US 45E (SR 43) to the Carroll County line. This project will result in modifications to or realignment of the current US 45E/SR 43 intersection with US 79/SR 76.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
that is 56.79 miles (91.39 km) long. It begins in Madison County and ends in Obion County. State Route 43 is little-known by the general public by this designation as it is overlain by U.S. Route 45E for most of its length; the "43" designation is seen largely on mileposts. Two short sections of this route at Martin
Martin, Tennessee
Martin is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. Martin is the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The population was 10,515 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Martin is located at ....
and South Fulton
South Fulton, Tennessee
South Fulton is a city in Obion County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 2,517 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Union City, TN–KY Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:South Fulton is located at ....
is fully signed.
Route description
Most of SR 43 is a four-lane divided highwayDivided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
, which either overlies or bypasses its original route. It begins at Three Way
Three Way, Tennessee
Three Way is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,375 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Jackson, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
as a divided four-lane, overlain by US 45E, bypasses Medina
Medina, Tennessee
Medina is a city in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,479 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Medina is located at ....
, and goes through Milan
Milan, Tennessee
Milan is a city in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,851 at the 2010 census. The zip code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service is 38358. Residents of Milan are usually referred to as Milanites...
as an undivided four-lane. SR 43 from its southern terminus to Milan is designated as a STRAHNET connector route servicing the Milan Arsenal. North of Milan, it becomes divided again and bypasses Bradford
Bradford, Tennessee
Bradford is a town in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,048 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Bradford has a total area of , all of it land....
, passes through Greenfield
Greenfield, Tennessee
Greenfield is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,208 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Greenfield is located at ....
undivided, divides again and bypasses Sharon
Sharon, Tennessee
Sharon is a town in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 988 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sharon is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
.
At Martin, SR 43 breaks free from US 45E as a signed highway and bypasses Martin to the west. This road is the original US 45E around Martin, TN. It is not limited access, and because of its location, it could not easily be converted into a four-lane limited access highway in the 1990s. As a result, a new divided, limited-access four-lane US 45E was constructed around the east side of Martin where more land was available, and the original SR 43 designation was revealed on signposts.
North of Martin, SR 43 rejoins US 45E and continues as an undivided four-lane highway to South Fulton, where it breaks free again and follows the original US 45E Business Route through town to the Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
state line while 45E bypasses to the west.
Counties traversed (south to north)
State Route 43 traverses the counties shown in the table below.| Counties traversed by State Route 43 | ||
|---|---|---|
| County | miles | kilometers |
| Madison | 3.86 | 6.21 |
| Gibson | 24.26 | 39.04 |
| Weakley | 22.09 | 35.55 |
| Obion | 6.58 | 10.59 |
Future
As part of Tennessee Department of Transportation's Fiscal Years 2008-2010 Transportation Improvement Program, In 2008, construction is scheduled to begin on a widening project involving US 79U.S. Route 79
U.S. Route 79 is a north–south United States highway. The route is a northeast-southwest diagonal, with both east–west segments and north–south segments equally mixed. The highway's northern terminus is in Russellville, Kentucky, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 68 and KY 80...
(SR 76
Tennessee State Route 76
Tennessee State Route 76 is a state highway in Tennessee.At Brownsville it becomes concurrent with U.S. Route 79 and Alternate U.S. Route 70. At Atwood, U.S. 70A pulls away, and SR 76 continues to follow US 79....
) in Milan from its junction with US 45E (SR 43) to the Carroll County line. This project will result in modifications to or realignment of the current US 45E/SR 43 intersection with US 79/SR 76.