New York State Route 43 - Route Description

Route Description

NY 43 begins at an interchange with I-90 (exit 8) in the town of North Greenbush in western Rensselaer County. The route heads northeastward as a four-lane divided highway through a small forest separating NY 43 from a pair of residential neighborhoods. NY 43 provides access to these neighborhoods at an intersection with Washington Avenue. Past this junction, the highway turns eastward to meet US 4 in the hamlet of Defreestville. NY 43 narrows to two lanes roughly 0.25 miles (0.40 km) east of US 4 and continues eastward through a densely populated area of North Greenbush.

East of Lape Road (County Route 66 or CR 66), the amount of development along NY 43 begins to decline and give way to small, open fields located amongst forested areas. However, as NY 43 enters the town of Sand Lake, the number of homes and businesses on the highway rises once more. The level of development reaches its greatest point in West Sand Lake, a community centered around NY 43's junction with NY 150. NY 43 continues on, passing through residential areas of Sand Lake as it intersects NY 351 and heads eastward to Averill Park. The route meets NY 66 east of the community, and the two routes overlap for 3 miles (5 km) southeastward along the eastern shores of the small Glass and Crooked Lakes. NY 43 and NY 66 split just after crossing into the town of Nassau near the southern edge of Crooked Lake.

NY 43 heads southeastward from NY 66, passing through mostly rural, forested areas as it proceeds toward the Massachusetts state line. Most of the development along the final stretch of the route is concentrated in the small communities along the route. It passes through Dunham Hollow and enters the town of Stephentown as it serves the hamlet of West Stephentown. NY 43 continues through forested areas of Stephentown to Stephentown Center, denoted by a cluster of homes near the intersection of NY 43 and Newton Road.

From Stephentown Center, the route heads southeast to the community of Stephentown situated 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the state line. NY 43 serves as the main commercial strip through the hamlet, which is the largest location on the route since Averill Park. Here, NY 43 intersects NY 22 at a junction that features sharp corners for commuters turning onto NY 43 from NY 22. Past NY 22, NY 43 heads southeast through mostly open fields and lightly populated areas to the Massachusetts state line, where the roadway becomes Route 43 upon crossing into Williamstown, Massachusetts.