COLLINSVILLE – Illinois 143 west of Illinois 255 in Wood River opened officially again from flood problems on Saturday and is now available for motorists to use coming in and out of that area.
Illinois Department of Transportation spokesperson Craig Poettker said he understood people’s frustrations with that area being closed, but it remained that way purely for safety reasons until Saturday.
“There was still water on the road up until Saturday and then it was finally off lanes of traffic,” Poettker said. “With temperatures dropping, we didn’t want anyone driving on any type of water and spread it around, then it would freeze. The water was off the driving lanes by Saturday so we opened it up.”
Another area that remains closed is the intersection of Illinois 96 and 100 in Kampsville, which “is kind of a low area,” Poettker said.
“We are going to try to do some work there,” he said. “The water is not moving and has been frozen and tough to get off. As of Sunday, there was still water at that intersection. It is a real small area, so overall people can still get around town.”
