California State Route 43

State Route 43 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. State of California, routed along the southern San Joaquin Valley connecting the towns of Shafter, Wasco, Hanford, and Selma, running roughly parallel to SR 99. Caltrans has plans to widen SR 43 between the Kings County/Fresno County line and SR 99, but due to the California budget crisis, plans have been put on hold.

Route description

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System.^[2]

The route begins southwest of Bakersfield at the intersection of SR 119 and Enos Lane. It travels north on Enos Lane through rural farmland and quickly crosses I-5. It continues north until reaching SR 58. From there it angles northwest, running parallel to the BNSF railroad tracks. At this point the name changes to Central Valley Highway. It continues travelling northwest through Shafter. North of Shafter the road expands to four lanes until reaching Wasco. The route briefly travels east on SR 46 before continuing north on SR 43, which returns to two lanes. At Pond St, the route turns northwest. It continues on that route through Corcoran. North of Corcoran, the route turns north. It continues north through Hanford, before ending at SR 99 in Selma.

History

State Route 43 is the combination of two different legislative routes. The northern segment was adopted as a state route in 1933 as Legislative Route 135. It was defined to run from LRN 10 (currently SR 198) near Hanford to LRN 129 (currently SR 65) near Ducor via Corcoran and Earilmart. Originally, the route started in Ducor and traveled west on Ave. 65. It went through Earilmart to Central Valley Highway, where it joins the current route. In 1951, the route and terminus was changed from Ducor to the junction of LRN 33 (currently SR 46) and LRN 139 (current routing of SR 43) in Wasco, eliminating the route along Ave. 56. In 1959, a second disconnected segment was added that ran from the Kings County Line to LRN 4 (currently SR 99) near Selma.^[3] The southern segment was adopted as a state route in 1933 as Legislative Route 139. It was defined to run from LRN 140 (currently SR 119) to LRN 33 in Wasco.^[4]

In 1964, all of the state routes were renumbered. LRN 135 and LRN 139 were combined, and all gaps were filled to make one continuous route from SR 119 to SR 99 near Selma. This route was named and signed as SR 43.^[5]

Major intersections

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.

External links

• Caltrans: Route 43 highway conditions
• California Highways: SR 43

References