# North Carolina Highway 43

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.

## 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. 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. 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.

### 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.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Craven | New Bern | 0.0– 0.3 | 0.0– 0.48 | | US 17 / US 70 – Morehead City, Kinston, Jacksonville | Exit 411 (US 70) |
| Craven | New Bern | 2.1 | 3.4 | | NC 55 (Neuse Boulevard) – Kinston | |
| Craven | ​ | 10.8 | 17.4 | | US 17 south / Macedonia Church Road – New Bern | Southern end of US 17 concurrency |
| Craven | ​ | 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 |
| Craven | Vanceboro | 16.4 | 26.4 | | US 17 Bus. north (Main Street) – Washington | Northern end of US 17 Bus. Concurrency |
| Craven | Vanceboro | 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 | |
| Pitt | Greenville | 40.3 | 64.9 | | US 264 Alt. east (Greenville Boulevard) / Charles Boulevard – Washington | Southern end of US 264 Alt. concurrency |
| Pitt | Greenville | 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 |
| Pitt | Greenville | 44.5 | 71.6 | | US 13 south (Dickinson Avenue) – Farmville | Southern end of US 13 concurrency |
| Pitt | Greenville | 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 |
| Pitt | ​ | 48.0– 48.2 | 77.2– 77.6 | | US 264 / NC 11 Byp. – Washington, Wilson | Exit 75 (US 264) |
| Pitt | Bruce | 52.4 | 84.3 | | NC 121 south – Farmville | Northern terminus of NC 121 |
| Pitt | ​ | 54.0 | 86.9 | | NC 222 east – [[, North Carolina|]] | Southern end of NC 222 concurrency |
| Pitt | 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 |
| Edgecombe | ​ | 62.0 | 99.8 | | NC 124 west – Macclesfield | Eastern terminus of NC 124 |
| Edgecombe | ​ | 63.2 | 101.7 | | US 258 – Tarboro, Princeville, Kinston | |
| Edgecombe | Pinetops | 65.1 | 104.8 | | NC 122 (2nd Street) | |
| Edgecombe | Pinetops | 65.3 | 105.1 | | NC 42 south (Halmet Street) / 3rd Street | Northern end of NC 42 concurrency |
| Edgecombe | ​ | 66.9 | 107.7 | | NC 111 | |
| Edgecombe | ​ | 78.0 | 125.5 | | NC 43 Bus. north – [[, North Carolina|]] | Southern terminus of NC 43 Bus. |
| Edgecombe | Rocky Mount | 80.1 | 128.9 | | US 64 Alt. east / Springfield Road | Southern end of US 64 Alt. concurrency |
| Edgecombe | Rocky Mount | 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. |
| Edgecombe | Rocky Mount | 82.2– 82.4 | 132.3– 132.6 | 470 | NC 97 (Atlantic Avenue) – [[, North Carolina|]], [[, North Carolina|]] | |
| Nash | Rocky Mount | 82.8– 83.0 | 133.3– 133.6 | 469 | US 301 Bus. (Church Street) | |
| Nash | Rocky Mount | 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. |
| Nash | Rocky Mount | 84.1– 84.3 | 135.3– 135.7 | | US 301 (Wesleyan Boulevard) – Weldon, Wilson | Interchange |
| Nash | Rocky Mount | 84.8 | 136.5 | | NC 48 north (Goldrock Road) | Northern end of NC 48 concurrency |
| Nash | 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 |
| Halifax | 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.
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Edgecombe | ​ | 0.0 | 0.0 | NC 43 (Springfield Road/Cokey Road) – Pinetops, Greenville | |
| Edgecombe | Rocky Mount | 2.7 | 4.3 | US 64 Bus. (Raleigh Boulevard) | |
| Edgecombe | Rocky Mount | 3.5 | 5.6 | NC 97 (Atlantic Avenue) | |
| Nash | Rocky Mount | 3.8 | 6.1 | US 301 Bus. (Church Street) | |
| Nash | Rocky Mount | 3.9 | 6.3 | NC 48 south (Falls Road/Grace Street) | Southern end of NC 48 concurrency (one way pair) |
| Nash | Rocky Mount | 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".