is a
Highway in western
Missouri . Its northern terminus is at
U.S. Route 54 midway between
Nevada and
Deerfield . Its southern terminus is at the corner of Missouri (near Southwest City),
Arkansas , and
Oklahoma where it continues down the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line as both
Arkansas State Highway 43 and
Oklahoma State Highway 20 . The highway is two-lane its entire length except for its brief concurrency on
Interstate 44 .
North of Joplin, Missouri 43 is a relatively straight highway. It intersects
U.S. Route 160 in
Barton County west of
Lamar . A few miles south of there it intersects
Missouri State Highway 126 . Just north of Joplin, it intersects
Missouri State Highway 96 .
In Joplin, the highway is known as Main Street and passes through the old historic downtown area. For a few blocks, it is historic
Route 66 until it reaches Seventh Avenue (
Missouri State Highway 66 ), where Route 66 goes west. It joins Business Loop I-44 until it reaches
Interstate 44 , then joins this road for one exit west, then turn south again.
When Missouri 43 reaches Seneca (where it has a junction with
U.S. Route 60 ), it comes within a miles of Oklahoma and stays relatively close to it all the way to the intersection with
Missouri State Highway 76 east of Tiff City. All thorugh this area, the highway becomes more hilly and curvy. The road serves as the western terminus of
Missouri State Highway 90 just before reaching Southwest City. South of Southwest City, the highway runs less than a mile before reaching the corner of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma becoming the concurrency of Arkansas 43/Oklahoma 20. A stone marker is erected at the corner of the three states.
