ROUTE 3 CLOSED BETWEEN WOLF LAKE, GRAND TOWER

WOLF LAKE, Ill. -- Illinois State Route 3 will be closed for one week between Wolf Lake and Grand Tower, starting at 7 a.m. Monday.

The stretch of road will probably be closed until Monday, Aug. 23, said an Illinois Department of Transportation spokesperson.

Motorists will have a lengthy detour while work on a bridge, crossing Big Muddy River, is being completed.

Motorists traveling north on Route 3, will have to take Route 146 east at Ware, turn north on Route 127 near Jonesboro, to Murphysboro. From Murphysboro, they will have to go east on Route 149, which leads to Route 3 north of Grand Tower,

"It's an extra half-hour from Grand Tower to Cape Girardeau," said one motorist who drives the distance frequently.