Illinois Route 3 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by IDOT | ||||
Length | 187.44 mi (301.66 km) | |||
Existed | November 5, 1918 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | I-57 / US 51 in Cairo | |||
North end | IL 100 in Grafton | |||
Location | ||||
Counties | Alexander, Union, Jackson, Randolph, Monroe, St. Clair, Madison, Jersey | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Illinois Route 3 (IL 3) is a 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 Interstate 57 (I-57) and U.S. Route 51 (US 51), and its northern terminus in Grafton at IL 100. This is a distance of 187.44 miles (301.66 km).
IL 3 has four lanes from Waterloo to Godfrey, with a brief six-lane stretch in Granite City around the River's Edge area (formerly the Army Depot of Granite City) and around Alton. It is two-laned the majority of the southern part from Waterloo to Mound City around the Shawnee National Forest Area. 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 capitol of Kaskaskia.