Illinois Route 151 is a north–south state road in southern Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. It runs from Illinois Route 3

Illinois Route 3

Illinois Route 3 is a major north–south arterial state highway in southwestern Illinois. It has its southern terminus at Cairo Junction at the intersection of Interstate 57 and U.S. Route 51, and its northern terminus in Grafton at Illinois Route 100...

 in rural Jackson County

Jackson County, Illinois

Jackson County, incorporated January 10, 1816, is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 60,218, which is an increase of 1.0% from 59,612 in 2000...

 (west of Grimsby) to Illinois Route 4

Illinois Route 4

Illinois Route 4 is a long state road that runs south from the Interstate 55 business loop around Springfield south to Illinois Route 13 just north of Murphysboro. This is a distance of .-Route description:...

 in Ava

Ava, Illinois

Ava is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 662 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ava is located at ....

. This is a distance of 7.84 miles (12.62 km).

Route description

Illinois 151 serves as a connector through the northwest portion of Shawnee National Forest

Shawnee National Forest

The Shawnee National Forest, located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, consists of approximately 280,000 acres of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac...

. It also is the access road to the Jackson Creek Recreational Area.

History

SBI Route 151 originally ran from Steeleville to Murphysboro; this was absorbed into Illinois Route 43

Illinois Route 43

Illinois Route 43 is a major north–south state road in the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 30 in Frankfort north to the large intersection of Illinois Route 120 and U.S...

in 1937, and eventually became part of Illinois 4 in 1964. In 1940, Illinois 151 was placed onto its current route.