Illinois Route 3

State highway in southwestern Illinois, US

Illinois Route 3

IL 3 highlighted in red

Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length| 187.44 mi[1] (301.66 km)
Existed| November 5, 1918[2]–present
Major junctions
South end|  US 51 / IL 37 in Cairo
Major intersections|

* I-255 / US 50 from Columbia to Cahokia
* I-55 / I-64 / US 40 in East St. Louis
* I-55 / I-64 / I-70 / US 40 in East St. Louis
* I-270 in Granite City
* US 67 in Alton

North end|  IL 100 in Grafton
Location
Country| United States
State| Illinois
Counties| Alexander, Union, Jackson, Randolph, Monroe, St. Clair, Madison, Jersey
Highway system

* Illinois State Highway System

* Interstate
* US
* State
* Tollways
* Scenic

| ←  IL 2| | →  IL 4

|
|

Illinois Route 3 (IL 3) is a 187.44-mile-long (301.66 km) major north–south arterial state highway in southwestern Illinois. It has its southern terminus at Cairo Junction (about four miles (6.4 km) north of Cairo) at the intersection of U.S. Route 51 (US 51) and Illinois Route 37, and its northern terminus in Grafton at IL 100.

## Route description

[edit]

The majority of IL 3 has four lanes from Waterloo to Godfrey, with brief six-lane stretches from the entrance to the McKinley Bridge in Venice to near the River's Edge area (formerly the Army Depot) in Granite City and near Alton Square Mall in Alton, as well as a brief two-laned section between its separation from I-55, I-64, and US 40 in East St. Louis and Venice. It is also two-laned the majority of the southern part from Waterloo to Cairo near areas of the Shawnee National Forest, as well as the northern portion from Godfrey to Grafton. It briefly overlaps IL 111 at Alton, I-255 and US 50, and IL 127 north of Cache.

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

## History

[edit]

### Original 1918 route

[edit]

The original IL 3 route went from Chester 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 (US 67) was extended from St. Louis to Godfrey and replaced the original IL 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 converted to the Interstate Highway System like I-57, I-55, or I-39.

### Current route

[edit]

On August 4, 1976, the new Berm Highway from Wood River to Alton was opened.[3] It was signed as IL 3, which left the old alignment on Lewis and Clark Boulevard and Broadway unmarked. However, on June 29, 1987, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) built the new Madison Avenue extension in Wood River and marked that road and the Berm Highway as IL 143[4] 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 Boulevard (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.[5]

## Major intersections

[edit]

County| Location| mi[1][6]| km| Exit| Destinations| Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

Alexander| Cairo| 0.8| 1.3| |  Great River Road / Lincoln Heritage Trail  south / US 51 / I-57 – Sikeston Mo., Mount Vernon| IDOT signs this as southern terminus; southern end of Great River Road/Lincoln Heritage Trail overlap; I-57 exit 1; highway continues as US 51/GRR/LHT south
Olive Branch| | | | Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area, Miller City|
​| 8.5| 13.7|
IL 127 north – Jonesboro, Mounds|
McClure| 26.0| 41.8|
IL 146 west – Cape Girardeau| Southern end of IL 146 overlap
Union| Ware| 37.7| 60.7|
IL 146 east / Lincoln Heritage Trail (Southern Branch) spur – Jonesboro, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site| Northern end of IL 146 overlap
Jackson| Grand Tower| 51.3| 82.6|

Great River Road Spur north (Grand Tower Road) – River Access, Devils Backbone Park, Business District|
​| 53.0| 85.3|

Great River Road Spur south (Power Plant Road) – River Access, Devils Backbone Park|
​| | | Gorham Road - Gorham, Neunert, Jacob| State maintained
​| 60.6| 97.5|
IL 149 east – Murphysboro, Carbondale, Lake Murphysboro State Park|
​| 65.0| 104.6|
IL 151 north – Lake Kinkaid, Ava, Johnson Creek Recreational Area|
Randolph| ​| 80.6| 129.7|

Great River Road (National Route) north (Truck Bypass) – River Bridge| Northern end of Great River Road overlap; state maintained
Chester| 83.4| 134.2|
IL 150 west (State Street) – River Bridge, Penitentiary| Southern end of IL 150 overlap
83.6| 134.5|
IL 150 east (State Street) – Steeleville| Northern end of IL 150 overlap
83.9| 135.0|

Great River Road Spur begins / Jefferson Street| Southern end of Great River Road Spur overlap
84.2| 135.5|

Great River Road Spur ends / Great River Road south (Truck Bypass) – River Bridge, Penitentiary| Northern end of Great River Road Spur overlap; southern end of Great River Road overlap
​| 89.8| 144.5|
Great River Road Spur (Shawneetown Trail) – Fort Kaskaskia Historic Site, Pierre Menard Home, Randolph County Conservation Area| State maintained to Fort Kaskaskia
​| | | Roots Road - River Ferry, Modoc, Kaskaskia Lock and Dam, Fort de Chartres Historic Site| State maintained
Ruma| 103.1| 165.9|

IL 155 west / Lincoln Heritage Trail (Southern Branch) north / Great River Road Spur – Prairie du Rocher, Fort de Chartres Historic Site, River Ferry| Northern end of Lincoln Heritage Trail overlap
Red Bud| 108.6| 174.8|

IL 154 east (Market Street) / IL 159 north (Main Street) – Belleville, Sparta|
Monroe| ​| | | Kaskaskia Road - Burksville, Renault, Illinois Caverns State Natural Area|
Waterloo| 122.2| 196.7|  IL 156 (Park Street) – Fairgrounds, Wartburg, Maeystown, Valmeyer|
Columbia| 129.5| 208.4|
IL 158 east – Belleville| Interchange
133.1| 214.2| —| Quarry Road / Palmer Road| South end of freeway
134.3| 216.1| —|

I-255 south / US 50 west (J.B. Bridge) – St. Louis County, Memphis, Tulsa| Southern end of I-255/US 50 overlap; I-255 exit 6
St. Clair| Dupo| 136.5| 219.7| 9| Dupo| Exit number follows I-255
137.4| 221.1| —|

I-255 north / US 50 east – Chicago| North end of freeway; northern end of I-255/US 50 overlap; I-255 exit 10
Cahokia Heights| 141.2| 227.2| |
IL 157 north (Camp Jackson Road) – Nicholas Jarrot Mansion, Holy Family Church|
East St. Louis| 144.2–
144.8| 232.1–
233.0| —|

I-55 south / I-64 west / US 40 west to I-70 west / I-44 – St. Louis| South end of freeway; I-55 north/I-64 east exit 1; former I-70 west
—| 13th Street / Tudor Avenue| No southbound entrance
—| Barack Obama Avenue – East St. Louis, Business District, Casino Queen| Formerly Fourth Street; northbound exit and southbound entrance

I-64 / US 40 west / I-55 south – St. Louis| South end of I-55/I-64/US 40 concurrency; southbound left exit and northbound left entrance; I-55 south/I-64 west exit 1; former I-70 west
145.7| 234.5| 2A| Third Street – Eads Bridge, Casino Queen| Exit numbers follow I-55/I-64; southbound exit and northbound entrance
146.0| 235.0| 2B-C| Martin Luther King Bridge – Downtown St. Louis| Signed as exits 2B (left exit) and 2C (right exit); no northbound exits
146.2–
146.8| 235.3–
236.3| |

I-55 / Great River Road north / I-70 / US 40 east – Chicago, Indianapolis

I-64 east – Louisville| North end of freeway; northern end of I-55/I-64/US 40/Great River Road overlap; I-55 north exit 3, south exit 3A; I-64 exit 3; I-70 east exit 3
Fairmont City| | | |

Packers Avenue to I-55 north / I-64 east / I-70| Interchange via connector road; I-70 exit 2
Madison| Venice| 151.1| 243.2| McKinley Bridge – St. Louis| State maintained
Granite City| 158.4| 254.9|
Historic US 66 east (Chain of Rocks Road)| Southern end of Historic US 66 overlap; state maintained
158.6| 255.2|

I-270 / Great River Road south / Historic US 66 west – St. Charles, Effingham| Southern end of Great River Road overlap; I-270 exit 3; northern end of Historic US 66 overlap
Hartford| 161.6| 260.1|
Meeting of the Great Rivers begins / Great River Road Spur (New Poag Road) – Lewis and Clark Historic Site, SIUE Campus| Southern end of Meeting of the Great Rivers overlap; New Poag Rd. south is former US 67 south
| | Hawthorne Street – Hartford| State maintained
Wood River| 165.6| 266.5|  Great River Road / Meeting of the Great Rivers north / IL 143 – Alton, Riverfront, Wood River, Business District| Northern end of Great River Road/Meeting of the Great Rivers overlap
Alton| 169.3| 272.5|
IL 111 south / IL 140 (College Avenue) – Bethalto| Interchange; southern end of IL 111 overlap
Godfrey| 173.0| 278.4|

IL 111 north (Godfrey Road) to US 67 / State Street – Clark Bridge, Lewis and Clark Community College, Jacksonville| Northern end of IL 111 overlap
Jersey| ​| 182.0| 292.9|
IL 109 north – Jerseyville|
Grafton| 190.0| 305.8|  IL 100 / Great River Road / Meeting of the Great Rivers| Northern terminus; road continues south as Market Street
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

* Concurrency terminus
* Incomplete access

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
2. ^ Carlson, Rick (March 15, 2006). "Routes 1 through 20". Illinois State Highways Page. Retrieved March 24, 2006.[self-published source].
3. ^ Alton Telegraph. August 4, 1976. `{{cite news}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help)[full citation needed]
4. ^ Alton Telegraph. June 30, 1987. `{{cite news}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help)[full citation needed]
5. ^ Alton Telegraph. November 26, 1987. `{{cite news}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help)[full citation needed]
6. ^ Google Maps estimate[full citation needed]

## External links

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KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Illinois Route 3

KML is from Wikidata

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Illinois Route 3.

* Illinois Highway Ends: Illinois Route 3

*[mi]: Miles
*[km]: Kilometers