A tentative deal has been worked out to end the nearly three-week construction strike that idled work on schools, a casino and some 300 road projects, including the resurfacing of the Eisenhower Expressway.

The agreement between the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association and the Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 was reached after a nine-hour bargaining session Monday. It includes a 3.25 percent increase in wages and benefits for each of the next three years. The hourly wage for construction laborers is $35.20, and for heavy equipment operators about $45.