# Arkansas Highway 43

Arkansas Highway 43 (AR 43) is a designation for three state highways in Arkansas. One segment runs from Highway 264 in Siloam Springs north to the Missouri state line. A second segment of 29.5 miles (47.5 km) runs from Highway 21 at Boxley north to Highway 7 in Harrison. A third segment runs 1.8 miles (2.9 km) in Harrison from U.S. Route 65 (US 65) east to Highway 7.

## Route description
### Siloam Springs to Missouri

Highway 43 begins at Highway 264 in Siloam Springs and runs west before turning north and running close to the Oklahoma state line. The route runs through Cherokee City before meeting Highway 102 and later Highway 72 in Maysville.
After Maysville, Highway 43 runs along the Oklahoma state line concurrent with OK-20. This continues for approximately 5.4 miles (8.7 km) until both routes terminate at the Missouri state line, where they continue as Missouri Route 43. This section is jointly maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).
For the northernmost few miles of the overlapping stretch of road, AR 43/SH-20 turns toward the west, no longer straddling the state line. For those few miles, Highway 43 is located wholly within the state of Oklahoma but is not apparent to the traveler. The northernmost few feet of AR 43/SH-20 are completely in Arkansas, as the Arkansas/Missouri/Oklahoma tripoint is on the west side of the highway.

### Boxley to Harrison

The route begins at Highway 21 at Boxley, and runs north near the Buffalo National River. Highway 43 enters Boone County and serves as the western terminus of Highway 206, and the southern terminus of Highway 397. The route terminates at Highway 7 in south Harrison. Highway 43 runs for 15.9 miles (25.6 km) in Newton County and 14.1 miles (22.7 km) in Boone County.

## Major intersections

| State | County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Arkansas | Benton | Siloam Springs | 0.0 | 0.0 | AR 264 (Lincoln Street) | Southern terminus |
| Arkansas | Benton | ​ | 8.0 | 12.9 | AR 12 – Colcord, OK, Gentry | |
| Arkansas | Benton | ​ | 16.3 | 26.2 | AR 102 east – Decatur | Western terminus of AR 102 |
| Arkansas | Benton | Maysville | 18.7 | 30.1 | AR 72 east – Gravette | Western terminus of AR 72 |
| Oklahoma–Arkansas line | Delaware–Benton county line | ​ | | | SH-20 west – Jay | Southern end of SH-20 concurrency |
| Oklahoma–Missouri– Arkansas state tripoint | Delaware–McDonald– Benton county tripoint | OKARMO Corner | | | Route 43 north – Southwest City SH-20 ends | Continuation into Missouri; eastern terminus of SH-20 |
| Gap in route |||||||
| Arkansas | Newton | Boxley | 0.0 | 0.0 | AR 21 to AR 16 – Kingston | Southern terminus |
| Arkansas | Newton | Ponca | | | AR 74 east – Jasper | Western terminus of AR 74 |
| Arkansas | Newton | ​ | | | AR 103 north – Osage | Southern terminus of AR 103 |
| Arkansas | Boone | ​ | | | AR 206 east – Gaither | Western terminus of AR 206 |
| Arkansas | Boone | ​ | | | AR 397 north | Southern terminus of AR 397 |
| Arkansas | Boone | Harrison | 29.5 | 47.5 | AR 7 | Northern terminus |
| Gap in route |||||||
| Arkansas | Boone | Harrison | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 62 / US 65 / US 412 – Little Rock, Eureka Springs, Branson, MO | Southern terminus |
| Arkansas | Boone | Harrison | 1.8 | 2.9 | AR 7 – Diamond City, Jasper | Northern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus |||||||

## History

Highway 43 was created in the 1926 Arkansas state highway numbering. The original route was designated as State Road 43 between Boxley and Missouri. The route was truncated at State Road 14 at Lead Hill in 1929. The segment between Lead Hill and Harrison was re-signed as Highway 7 in October 1953 following highway reconstruction. Minor relocations also took place around Lead Hill following construction of Bull Shoals Lake in 1954.
The Arkansas State Highway Commission created a second segment of Highway 43 in Harrison on August 25, 1965.
The Arkansas State Highway Commission created a third segment of Highway 43 on October 27, 1971 following a request from the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce to provide consistent numbering between Siloam Springs and Joplin, Missouri by renumbering Highway 99 to match Missouri Route 43.
The new segment was rerouted within Siloam Springs as part of a reorganization of the city's highways on July 17, 1996. The Highway Commission relocated the Highway 43 southern terminus from US 412 to Highway 59 by turning over Mount Olive Street to city maintenance and rerouted Highway 43 over the former Highway 204 (Cheri Whitlock Drive) in exchange for street and drainage improvements along Mount Olive Street.

### Siloam Springs spur

Arkansas Highway 43 Spur (AR 43S and Hwy. 43S) is a former spur route of 1.01 miles (1.63 km) in Siloam Springs. It was decommissioned when AR 43 was rerouted along AR 204.