The Illinois Department of Transportation will begin work Monday, Sept. 12, on a resurfacing project on Route 3 north from Gilmore Lake Road to I-255.

Columbia City Engineer Chris Smith said he anticipates only patching and other preliminary work this fall, with the larger resurfacing work on that stretch to begin in the spring. Motorists should be on the lookout for intermittent lane restrictions as crews begin repairs.

IDOT said Route 3 from I-255 south to Gilmore Lake Road in Columbia will be intermittently restricted to one lane in each direction beginning Sept. 12, weather permitting.

This work will take place daily. Traffic in each direction will be maintained using flaggers and arrow boards.

All northbound lanes of Route 3 will remain open from 6-9 a.m. and all southbound lanes will remain open from 3-7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

IDOT said this work is necessary to complete pavement repairs, with roadway resurfacing expected to be completed by the end of summer 2023.

The contractor on this project is The Christ Brothers of Lebanon.

In other work, Columbia city crews began replacing a water main Tuesday at Centerville Road from Main Street to Columbia Avenue.

Smith said this work will replace a four-inch main with a six-inch main. He added this is the only work scheduled on Centerville Road, but he anticipates a future project will replace mains along Centerville Road from Columbia Avenue to Breidecker Street as part of a larger goal to improve infrastructure throughout the city.