Ontario Highway 43
{{short description|Former Ontario provincial highway}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox road
|province = ON
|type = ON 1960
|route = 43
|alternate_name =
|map =
|maint = the Ministry of Transportation
|length_km = 154.2
|established = 1938
|decommissioned = January 1, 1998
|direction_a = West
|terminus_a = {{jcon|Hwy|7|city=Perth}}
|junction = {{jcon|Hwy|15|city=Smiths Falls}}
{{jcon|Hwy|416|town=Kemptville}}
{{jcon|Hwy|31|town=Winchester}}
|direction_b = East
|terminus_b = {{jcon|Hwy|34|town=Alexandria}}
|cities = Perth, Smiths Falls
|towns = Merrickville, Kemptville, Winchester, Chesterville, Finch, Alexandria
|previous_type = Hwy
|previous_route = 42
|next_type = Hwy
|next_route = 44
}}
King's Highway 43, also known as Highway 43, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. On January 1, 1998, the entire route was transferred to the county that each section resided in, resulting in the current designations of Lanark County Road 43, Leeds and Grenville Road 43 and Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Road 43. Highway 43 ran somewhat parallel to and between Highway 401 and Highway 417 from Highway 7 in Perth to Highway 34 in Alexandria, passing through several small towns along the way. At {{convert|154.2|km|abbr=on}},{{cite journal
| title = Provincial Highways Distance Table
| author = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
| journal = Provincial Highways Distance Table: King's Secondary Highways and Tertiary Roads
| publisher = Government of Ontario
| date = April 1, 1989
| issn = 0825-5350
| pages = 62–63}}
it is the longest highway in Ontario to be decommissioned entirely during the mass transfer of Highways in 1997 and 1998.
Route description
Highway 43 began in the west at Highway 7 on the edge of Perth. It travelled eastward north of the Tay Canal and Lower Rideau Lake into Smiths Falls. After a brief concurrency with Highway 15 southwards, the route continued east nearby the Rideau Canal through Merrickville and Kemptville, meeting what was then a soon-to-open interchange with Highway 416 east of the latter.{{cite press release
| title = New Section of Veterans Memorial Highway Opened Today
| author = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
| publisher = Government of Ontario
| date = June 26, 1998
| url = http://www.newswire.ca/government/ontario/english/releases/June1998/26/c6908.html
| access-date = October 26, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20000305080025/http://www.newswire.ca/government/ontario/english/releases/June1998/26/c6908.html
| archive-date = March 5, 2000}}
The highway continued east, bypassing the communities of Winchester and Chesterville, jogging southwards several times. After bisecting Finch and skirting south of Avonmore, the route encountered Ontario Highway 138 before entering Monkland. After passing north of Loch Garry, Highway 43 entered Alexandria, ending at an intersection with Highway 34 (Main Street) in the centre of the town.{{cite map
| title = Official Road Map
| cartography = Cartography Section
| publisher = Ministry of Transportation
| year = 1990–91
| section = D16–F19}}
History
Highway 43 was established in 1934, travelling between Highway 31 near Winchester to Highway 34 in Alexandria. In 1961, the Department of Highways extended Highway 43 westward {{convert|39|mi|abbr=on}} to Highway 7 in Perth. East of Smiths Falls, the new highway was created using existing county roads.{{cite report
| title = Annual Report for the Fiscal Year
| author = Ontario Department of Highways
| date = March 31, 1961
| page = 117
| quote = Highway 43 was extended from Winchester to Smiths Falls, a distance of 39 miles, by assumption of the county road}}
To the west, it assumed the previous route of Highway 15 to Perth. The route remained unchanged for the next 36 years until it was decommissioned entirely on January 1, 1998 as part of a series of budget cuts initiated by premier Mike Harris under his Common Sense Revolution platform. It was the longest King's Highway to be removed entirely from the system during these cuts, known as downloading (although Highway 2 lost significantly more of its length). Jurisdiction over the roadway was transferred to the counties and city that Highway 43 crossed: Lanark County, Smiths Falls, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.{{cite report
| title = Highway Transfers List - "Who Does What"
| publisher = Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
| date = June 20, 2001
| pages = 8, 9, 14, 17}} The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is awaiting federal funding approval to begin an expansion of the roadway to four-lanes in Kemptville. A [https://www.northgrenville.ca/govern-ng/governance/support-43-expansion campaign] was launched in November 2019 by the Municipality of North Grenville.
Major intersections
{{ONinttop|former=yes|maint=MTO|length_ref=}}
{{ONint
| division = Lanark
| dspan = 2
| location = Perth
| km = 0.0
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|7|tch=y}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Port Elmsley
| km = 12.9
| road = {{jcon|Lanark|18|Port Elmsley}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| municipality = Smiths Falls
| lspan = 2
| km = 21.6
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|15|dir=north}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 22.0
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|15|dir=south}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| division = Lanark
| dspan = 1
| location = Montague
| km = 30.4
| road = {{jcon|Lanark|23|Rosedale Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| division = Leeds and Grenville
| dspan = 9
| location = Merrickville-Wolford
| lspan = 2
| km = 40.4
| road = {{jcon|LG|15|St. Lawrence Street}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 42.4
| road = {{jcon|LG|23}}
| notes = Western junction with County Road 23
}}
{{ONint
| location = North Grenville
| lspan = 2
| km = 48.2
| road = {{jcon|LG|23}}
| notes = Eastern junction with County Road 23
}}
{{ONint
| km = 53.6
| road = {{jcon|LG|25}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Kemptville
| km = 59.7
| road = {{jcon|LG|44|Prescott Highway}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = North Grenville
| lspan = 4
| km = 61.4
| road = {{jcon|LG|19|Rideau River Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 62.3
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|416|Veterans Memorial Highway|city=Ottawa|city2=Brockville}}
| notes = Exit 34
}}
{{ONint
| km = 62.9
| road = {{jcon|LG|24}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 65.3
| road = {{jcon|LG|22|South Gower Drive}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| division = Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
| dspan = 20
| location = North Dundas
| lspan = 7
| km = 72.0
| road = {{jcon|SDG|1|dir=north|Reids Mills Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 74.3
| road = {{jcon|SDG|1|dir=south|Mountain Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 81.6
| road = {{jcon|SDG|3|Inkerman Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| type = concur
| km = 85.4
| road = {{jcon|SDG|31|dir=north|city=Ottawa}}
| notes = Formerly Highway 31; beginning of concurrency with County Road 31
}}
{{ONint
| km = 89.0
| road = {{jcon|SDG|38|St. Lawrence Street}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| type = concur
| km = 89.5
| road = {{jcon|SDG|31|dir=south}}
| notes = End of concurrency with County Road 31
}}
{{ONint
| km = 96.6
| road = {{jcon|SDG|9|Loucks Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Chesterville
| lspan = 2
| km = 98.4
| road = {{jcon|SDG|37|Queen Street}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 100.4
| road = {{jcon|SDG|7}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location_special = North Dundas – North Stormont boundary
| km = 104.6
| road = {{jcon|SDG|11|Boundary Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Finch
| lspan = 2
| km = 112.5
| road = {{jcon|SDG|12|dir=north|Crysler Road|town=Crysler}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 112.6
| road = {{jcon|SDG|12|dir=south|Victoria Street}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = North Stormont
| km = 119.9
| road = {{jcon|SDG|14|Finch – Roxborough Boundary Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Avonmore
| km = 122.9
| road = {{jcon|SDG|15}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Monkland
| km = 130.2
| road = {{jcon|Hwy|138|city=Cornwall}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = North Glengarry
| lspan = 4
| km = 137.6
| road = {{jcon|SDG|20|Highland Road|dir=north|town=Maxville}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 139.4
| road = {{jcon|SDG|20|Apple Hill Road|dir=south|town=Apple Hill}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 144.2
| road = {{jcon|SDG|30|Greenfield Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| km = 151.7
| road = {{jcon|SDG|45|Kenyon Dam Road}}
| notes =
}}
{{ONint
| location = Alexandria
| km = 154.2
| road = {{jcon|SDG|34}}
| notes = Former Highway 34
}}
{{jctbtm|keys=concur}}