Alabama US 43 begins along Telegraph Road in
Prichard, Alabama, at the point where
US 90 crosses over Telegraph Road; a short connector road joins the two highways nearby. It travels northward toward
Chickasaw on a three-lane road that features one lane in each direction and a
center turning lane. Upon intersecting the Craft Highway in Chickasaw, the roadway adds another lane in each direction. As it enters
Saraland, the highway meets
State Route 158 (SR 158), which connects to
Interstate 65 (I-65) to the west. Farther north in the town, it meets
SR 213. It continues north and then crosses I-65 on the northern edge of
Satsuma. US 43 continues north on a four-lane
divided highway that runs roughly parallel to the meandering
Mobile River. A
trumpet interchange near
Calvert provides access to a
steel mill between the highway and the river. In
McIntosh, the highway passes
Andrews Chapel, a historic log church. North of McIntosh, the highway runs through forest land; clearings dot the roadside occasionally. At
Wagarville, the highway intersects
SR 56, which travels west toward
Chatom. Near
Jackson, the road crosses the
Tombigbee River just before an intersection with
SR 177. SR 177 serves as a
business route for US 43 as it passes through
downtown Jackson. A connector road on either side of US 43 links the highway to
SR 69, which passes over the four-lane road. SR 177 intersects US 43 again as it leaves Jackson. US 43 curves to the northeast as it heads toward
Grove Hill. There,
SR 295 splits off to the east and passes through the town. Shortly thereafter, the highway meets
US 84 at a
diamond interchange. SR 295 rejoins US 43 on the northern end of Grove Hill. Roughly halfway between Grove Hill and
Thomasville,
SR 178 connects
Fulton to the highway system. Near the center of Thomasville, the road meets
SR 154, which heads southwest toward
Coffeeville. In northern Thomasville, US 43 splits away from the roadway, which continues as
SR 5. Instead, US 43 heads northwesterly until it intersects
SR 10 at
Dixons Mills. US 43 continues northward from Dixons Mills along a winding road that leads to
Linden. There, it meets
SR 69, which came from the southwest. The two highways
travel together through Linden, where they are overlapped briefly by
SR 28. When the highways reach
Providence, the two roads
fork and US 43 takes the western leg; SR 69 heads north toward
Greensboro. It then curves slightly to the northwest and meets
US 80 in southeastern
Demopolis. The two routes head west together for about before US 43 turns back to the north. The highway passes by the
town square and in between the Tombigbee and
Black Warrior Rivers before crossing the latter. North of Demopolis, it follows a two-lane road that passes through wooded farmland that clears as the road goes north. When the highway reaches
Eutaw, it joins up with
SR 14, which comes from Greensboro to the southeast. In the middle of town, the two routes meet northbound
U.S. Route 11 in Alabama at the
Greene County Courthouse Square District; southbound US 11 goes around the other side of the block, effectively making the courthouse square its median. The three routes only share one block before SR 14 departs to the west and the other two routes head in the opposite direction. Outside of Eutaw, the roadway curves around to the north and it runs a parallel course to
I-20/
I-59, though a few miles offset. At
Knoxville, the two U.S. Highways cross over the two
Interstate Highways, after which, US 43 and US 11 travel on the north side of the interstates until reaching
Tuscaloosa. In southwestern Tuscaloosa, the two highways cross the Joe Mallisham Parkway, which serves as a western
bypass of Tuscaloosa and
Northport. Just south of downtown Tuscaloosa, US 43 and US 11 diverge at an interchange with SR 69, which also happens to be the northern end of
I-359. SR 69 descends from the
elevated highway and joins US 43 on Lurleen B. Wallace Parkway through the downtown area and past the historic
Bama Theatre. The northbound and southbound lanes are separated by a block until they join to cross the Black Warrior River on the
Hugh R. Thomas Bridge just above the Oliver Dam and then enter Northport. Shortly after crossing the river is an interchange with 5th Street. The highways ease to the north and continue until reaching
US 82. There, SR 69 continues to the north while US 43 turns west onto US 82. These two highways head west for a short distance before US 43 turns away to the northwest. The highway curves back around to head northeast as it intersects
SR 171. Farther north in Northport, US 43 meets the end of the Tuscaloosa–Northport western bypass. It crosses over an arm of
Lake Tuscaloosa and travels along the western edge of Binion Creek Landing Park. It winds to the north-northwest and intersects
SR 18. At this intersection, US 43 ends its southern concurrency with SR 13 and begins a concurrency with SR 18. Also, SR 13 becomes a signed highway at this intersection. US 43 and SR 18 wind to the north-northeast and enter
Bankston and later pass through
Stough. Approximately after crossing the
Sipsey River the highways enter
Fayette where they intersect
SR 171 (2nd Avenue Southeast) in the downtown area. At this intersection, SR 18 continues to the west-northwest on Columbus Street West and US 43 and SR 171 travel to the north-northeast on 2nd Avenue Northeast. North of Fayette, the two highways intersect the southern terminus of
SR 129 and the western terminus of
SR 102 shortly thereafter. They curve to the north-northwest and then briefly travel through the Fayette State Experiment Forest. The highways curve to the north-northeast and enter
Winfield. They cross over some railroad tracks of BNSF Railway before intersecting
SR 118 (
Bankhead Highway) and the southern terminus of
SR 253. US 43, SR 118, and SR 171 travel concurrently to the northwest toward
Gu-Win and
Guin. They pass a
3M plant before they intersect the western terminus of
SR 44 (7th Street) in Guin. The highways intersect
US 278 (unsigned
SR 74) and the eastern terminus of
SR 142 (11th Avenue West) in downtown Guin. At this intersection, SR 118 turns south onto US 278 west, and US 43 and SR 171 turn north onto US 278 east; the three highways travel to the north-northwest. Between Guin and
Hamilton, they have an interchange with
I-22/
US 78. They cross over the
Buttahatchee River as they enter Hamilton. They intersect
SR 17 south of the downtown area. At this intersection, SR 171 ends and SR 17 joins the US 43/US 278 concurrency. At Bexar Avenue West, US 278 turns east, while US 43 and SR 17 continue to the north. The highways curve back to the northeast and intersect the southern terminus of
SR 187. They enter
Hackleburg and in the main part of town is an intersection with
SR 172 and the southern terminus of SR 253 (Clay Street). They then continue to the north and intersect SR 13 for a second time northwest of
Phil Campbell. They enter
Russellville and have an interchange with
SR 24. on the
O'Neal Bridge in
Florence, Alabama, pictured in 2025 The three highways head to the north and pass the
King Drive-In theater, the oldest, continually-operating theater in the state. They travel northeast through
Littleville and then northwest towards
Tuscumbia. They have an intersection with
US 72 (
unsigned SR 2),
US 72 Alt., and
SR 20. At this intersection, US 72 Alternate ends, while US 72 and SR 20 join the US 43/SR 13/SR 17 concurrency. The five highways continue to the north, briefly travel through Tuscumbia proper before traveling along the Tuscumbia–Muscle Shoals city line. On the Muscle Shoals–
Sheffield city line, the highways intersect East 2nd Street, which carries
SR 184 east of the intersection. They then pass administration offices of the
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Then, they cross over the
Tennessee River on the O'Neal Bridge and enter
Lauderdale County. The US 43/US 72/SR 13/SR 17/SR 20 concurrency immediately enters
Florence. It has an incomplete interchange where SR 20 leaves the concurrency to the west-southwest on Coffee Road. There is no direct access from SR 20 to US 43 north/US 72 east/SR 13 north/SR 17 north. The highways pass near
University of North Alabama's main campus and travel to the northeast. There is an interchange with
SR 157 (Helton Drive). At this interchange, SR 17 departs the concurrency and heads northwest with SR 157. After that, they intersect
SR 133 (Cox Creek Parkway). Just west-southwest of
Killen, US 72 continues to the east-northeast, while US 43 and SR 13 head to the northeast. US 43 and SR 13 curve to the north and intersect
SR 64. They continue to the north and east until they reach the
Tennessee state line, where SR 13 ends.
Tennessee US 43 enters
Lawrence County and the city limits of
Saint Joseph. The unsigned
State Route 6 (SR 6) begins at the state line. In the main part of the city, US 43 begins an unsigned concurrency with
SR 227 (Iron City Road). They curve to the northeast, leave Saint Joseph, and enter
Loretto. There, SR 227 splits off to the southeast onto East Main Street (Lexington Highway). Then, US 43 intersects
SR 98 (Rabbit Trail Road) in
Leoma. It has an interchange with
US 64 (unsigned
SR 15; Lawrenceburg Highway) in
Lawrenceburg. In downtown Lawrenceburg, US 43 intersects
US 64 Bus. (Gaines Street). The highway runs through Lawrenceburg Proper and into the Ethridge City Limits. There are instersections with Ethridge-Redhill Road
Tennessee State Route 938 to the West, and Campbellsville Pike
Tennessee State Route 940 to the East. The highway begins a curve to the north, crossing the South Fork of the Buffalo River. Shortly after intersecting with the South end of Old Highway 43, the highway crosses over the North Fork of the Buffalo River. Next it intersects with the North end of Old Highway 43 at the junction with
SR 240 (Monument Road). In
Maury County, US 43 intersects
SR 20, then it intersects with the South end of Lawrenceburg Highway (the former route of Highway 43). After that junction, it passes by Stillhouse Hollow Falls, a Class I Scenic-Recreational State Natural Area (https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/na-natural-areas/natural-areas-middle-region/middle-region/na-na-stillhouse-hollow-falls.html) The highway continues over Big Bigby Creek and to the junction with the North end of Lawrenceburg Highway. It intersects the southern terminus of
SR 243 (South Main Street) in
Mount Pleasant. It travels on an overpass over Mt. Joy Road and some railroad tracks. US 43 bypasses downtown by traveling through the western part of the city. It intersects
SR 166 (1st Avenue). Then, it has an interchange with SR 243, which also leads to the
Maury County Airport. It has an interchange with
US 412 (unsigned
SR 99) and the western terminus of
US 412 Bus. (Hampshire Pike) in
Columbia. At this interchange, US 43 and US 412 travel concurrently to the north-northeast. At an interchange with
SR 50 (Williamsport Pike), the concurrency briefly re-enters the city before leaving again. The concurrency curves to the east-southeast and has an interchange with
SR 7 (Santa Fe Pike). Then, they intersect
US 31 and US 412 Bus (Nashville Highway). Here, US 43 ends, US 412 continues to the east-southeast on Bear Creek Pike, and SR 6 turns onto US 31 north. ==History==