UPDATED: JUNE 21, 2019 10"35 p.m.
ALEXANDER COUNTY (WSIL) � I-DOT announced  crews will close Routes 3 and 146 at 7:00 p.m. Friday due to the rising water.
ORIGINAL STORY
ALEXANDER COUNTY (WSIL) — Rising waters are continuing to cause delays for those traveling from Illinois toward Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Route 3 and Route 146 are both reduced to one lane, backing up a long line of semis and cars.Â
Route 3 between East Cape Girardeau and Gale remains closed.Â
Cars can take Grapevine Trail to get to Olive Branch and Thebes, but the roadway is closed to semis and will be ticketed.Â
County officials like Engineer Jeff Denny hope delays will be shortened once the Chester Bridge reopens.Â
"Everyone thinks a certain amount of the traffic were getting is traffic that could utilize or would normally utilize the Chester bridge," Denny explains. "Because it’s been closed, they’re having to come to Cape and get back and forth between the two states."Â
Missouri’s Department of Transportation plans on the Chester Bridge on Saturday June 22, but that is dependent on the weather and a safety inspection.