The A 143 comprises the western leg of the Mitteldeutsche Schleife (Central German Loop), a beltway around the cities of Halle an der Saale and Leipzig.

The A 143 project was placed under top priority in the Bundesverkehrswegeplan (Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan) of 1992, and the original plan was for at least part of the highway to open within a year.

However, the A 143's path goes through an environmentally sensitive area, part of which is protected by the Habitats Directive.

[1] Construction on the remaining 12.6 km is currently blocked from proceeding after a successful lawsuit by the Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU).

According to the NABU, the highway threatens the habitats of great crested newts, European polecats, and some 25 different species of dragonflies.