text: pennsylvania route 143 pennsylvania route 143 ( pa 143 ) is a 20 - mile - long ( 32 km ) state highway in pennsylvania . it runs from pa 662 in richmond township , berks county northeast to pa 309 near new tripoli in lehigh county . the route passes through rural areas , intersecting interstate 78 ( i - 78 ) / u.s. route 22 ( us 22 ) in lenhartsville , pa 737 near kempton , and pa 863 in . what is now pa 143 north of lenhartsville was originally designated legislative route 285 in 1911 . pa 143 was designated to in 1928 to run from pa 43 in lenhartsville to pa 29 near new tripoli . the route was extended slightly east through new tripoli by 1940 following a realignment of pa 29 . pa 143 was extended south to pa 662 by 1966 . route description pa 143 begins at an intersection with pa 662 in richmond township , berks county , heading to the north on two - lane undivided hard hill road . it turns northwest through a mix of hilly farms and woods with some homes , reaching the community of and becoming main street . in , the road crosses the maiden creek into perry township , where it runs a short distance to the west of the creek with woods to the east and farm fields to the west as an unnamed road . pa 143 continues through rural surroundings as it passes through windsor township and into greenwich township . the road enters more wooded surroundings and makes a few sharp turns prior to heading west into lenhartsville . here , the road becomes chestnut street and passes homes and businesses , making a right turn to the north onto willow street as it intersects the former alignment of us 22 . upon leaving lenhartsville for greenwich township again , pa 143 becomes unnamed and reaches an interchange with i - 78 / us 22 . from this point , the road winds north through more forested areas , still running to the west of maiden creek . the route enters albany township and enters a mix of woods and farms as it comes to an intersection with the northern terminus of pa 737 near the community of kempton . following this intersection , the road passes through more rural areas as it runs to the west of ontelaunee creek and the wanamaker , kempton and southern railroad . pa 143 crosses into lynn township , lehigh county , continuing northeast to the community of as kings highway . at this point , the road turns more to the east and passes the terminus of the wanamaker , kempton and southern railroad and heads into more agricultural areas with some homes . upon reaching the community of , pa 143 comes to the northern terminus of pa 863 . from this intersection , the route continues farther east , passing through new tripoli as decatur street before reaching its northern terminus at pa 309 . pa 143 has a total length of 20 . 039 miles ( 32 . 250 km ) . in 2010 , pa 143 had an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 5 , 400 vehicles between pa 662 and i - 78 / us 22 to a low of 1 , 800 vehicles between pa 737 and pa 863 . none of pa 143 is part of the national highway system . history what is now pa 143 north of lenhartsville was designated as part of legislative route 285 , a legislative route that ran from hamburg to new tripoli , in 1911 . pa 143 was designated in 1928 to follow its current alignment from pa 43 ( now old route 22 ) in lenhartsville northeast to pa 29 west of new tripoli . the route was originally unpaved between lenhartsville and kempton while the section between kempton and new tripoli was paved . by 1940 , pa 143 was paved between lenhartsville and kempton . also by this time , pa 143 was extended through new tripoli to end at pa 29 ( now pa 309 ) to the east of the community following a realignment of pa 29 . pa 143 was extended south from lenhartsville to its current southern terminus at pa 662 by 1966 , adding 6 . 4 miles ( 10 . 3 km ) to the length of the road . major intersections