Illinois Route 3

"IL 3" redirects here. For other uses, see IL-3 (disambiguation).

Illinois Route 3
Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length:	187.44 mi (301.66 km)
Existed:	1918 – present
Major junctions
From:	I-57 / US 51 north of Cairo
To:	IL 100 / Great River Road in Grafton
Location
Counties:	Alexander, Union, Jackson, Randolph, Monroe, St. Clair, Madison, Jersey
Highway system
Illinois state highway system Illinois Tollway system ← IL 2 IL 4 →

Illinois Route 3 is a major north–south arterial state highway in southwestern Illinois. It has its southern terminus at Cairo Junction (about 4 miles (6.4 km), or 7 km, north of Cairo) at the intersection of Interstate 57 and U.S. Route 51, and its northern terminus in Grafton at Illinois Route 100. This is a distance of 187.44 miles (301.66 km).

Route description

Illinois 3 has 4 lanes from Waterloo to Godfrey, with a brief 6-lane stretch in Granite City around the River's Edge area (formerly the Army Depot of Granite City) and around Alton. It is 2 laned the majority of the southern part from Waterloo to Mound City around the Shawnee National Forest Area. It briefly overlaps Illinois Route 111 at Alton, Interstate 255 and U.S. Route 50, and Illinois Route 127 north of Cache.

Illinois 3 parallels the Mississippi River for the entire length of its journey, and carries the Illinois portion of the Great River Road for most of its length. South of St. Louis, Interstate 55 is its parallel on the west side of the river, along with U.S. Route 61. The road runs along many historical sites along the Mississippi River, and is the closest Illinois state highway to the old state capitol of Kaskaskia.

History

On August 4, 1976, the new Berm Highway from Wood River to Alton was opened. It would be signed as IL Route 3, which left the old alignment on Lewis and Clark Blvd. and Broadway unmarked. However, on June 29, 1987, IDOT built the new Madison Avenue extension in Wood River and marked that road and the Berm Highway as IL 143 and "truncated" IL 3 at IL 143 (highway signage and IDOT planning maps suggested otherwise, however). This new terminus for Route 3 was short-lived, however.

On November 26, 1987, a new section of Homer M. Adams Parkway in Alton opened to traffic, and IL 3 was extended onto Lewis and Clark Blvd. (a former IL 3 alignment) back into Alton and onto the extension. IL 3 was then cosigned with IL 111 until the intersection with Godfrey Road, where IL 3 takes over the former IL 100 alignment.

Original 1918 Route The original Illinois 3 route went from Cairo Junction in southern Illinois to Morrison in northwest Illinois via Rock Island. With the completion of highway bridges over the Mississippi River (e.g. Clark Bridge at Alton) U.S. Route 67 was extended from St. Louis to Godfrey and replacing the original Illinois 3 to Rock Island. Today, this route is still the major north–south corridor for western Illinois - and the only major Illinois north–south route never upgraded to the Interstate highway system (e.g. Interstates 57, 55, 39).

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Junction	Notes
Alexander			US 51 south / Great River Road south – Cairo	Continuation beyond I-57
			I-57 / US 51 north	Interchange; I-57 exit 1
			IL 127 north
			IL 146 west – Cape Girardeau	South end of IL 146 overlap
Union	Ware		IL 146 east	North end of IL 146 overlap
Jackson	Grimsby		IL 149 east – Murphysboro
Randolph	Chester		IL 150 west (State Street)	South end of IL 150 overlap; To Chester Bridge
			IL 150 east (State Street)	North end of IL 150 overlap
	Ruma		IL 155 west
	Red Bud		IL 159 north (Main Street) / IL 154 east (Market Street)
Monroe	Waterloo		IL 156 (Park Street)
			IL 158 east	Interchange
			Quarry Road, Palmer Road	Interchange
			I-255 south / US 50 west – St. Louis County, Memphis, Tulsa	South end of I-255/US 50 overlap; Interchange
St. Clair	Dupo		Dupo	Interchange; I-255 exit 9
			I-255 north / US 50 east – Chicago	North end of I-255/US 50 overlap; Interchange
	Cahokia		IL 157 east (Camp Jackson Road)
	East St. Louis		I-55 south / I-64 west / I-70 west / US 40 west – St. Louis	South end of I-55/I-64/I-70/US-40 overlap; Interchange
			Fourth Street – East St. Louis	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; Interchange
			13th Street, Tudor Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; Interchange
			Third Street (IL 15), Eads Bridge	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; Exit 2A; Interchange
			Martin Luther King Bridge – Downtown St. Louis	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; Exit 2B/2C; Interchange
			I-64 east – Louisville	North end of I-64 overlap; Northbound exit only; Interchange
			I-55 north / I-70 east / US 40 east / Great River Road north – Chicago, Indianapolis	North end of I-55/I-70/US 50/Great River Rd. overlap; Interchange
Madison			I-270 / Great River Road south – Effingham, St. Charles	South end of Great River Rd. overlap; Interchange
			GRR spur – Lewis and Clark State Historic Site	South end of the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route overlap (it ends at this intersection)
	Wood River		IL 143 / Great River Road north / Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route north – Wood River, Alton, Riverfront	North end of Great River Rd./Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route overlap
	East Alton		Broadway
	Alton		IL 140 / IL 111 south (College Avenue)	South end of IL 111 overlap; Interchange; To Amtrak station
			IL 111 north to US 67	North end of IL 111 overlap
Jersey			IL 109 north
	Grafton		IL 100 / Great River Road / Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

External links

• Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 3