A bicyclist uses a Madison County Transit motorcycle trail on Alton’s more sensitive boardwalk. The trail is one of nine interconnected trails in Madison County, spanning 137 miles in total.
A bicyclist uses a Madison County Transit motorcycle trail on Alton’s more sensitive boardwalk. The trail is one of nine interconnected trails in Madison County, spanning 137 miles in total.
A bicyclist uses a Madison County Transit motorcycle trail on Alton’s more sensitive boardwalk. The trail is one of nine interconnected trails in Madison County, spanning 137 miles in total.
A bicyclist uses a Madison County Transit motorcycle trail on Alton’s more sensitive boardwalk. The trail is one of nine interconnected trails in Madison County, spanning 137 miles in total.
PONTOON BEACH: Whether it’s going out into the wild, exercising or even going to work, the citizens of Madison County have a top merit: a formula of interconnected trails that took nearly 30 years and $40 million to build.
“MCT Trails makes Madison County unique to the region, if not the Midwest,” said Madison County Transit District General Manager SJ Morrison. “It is one of the few interconnected Class 1 cycling networks, which means that it is separated from the road.
He said it only provides extra security, but also aesthetic value.
“What you do on a motorcycle is a semi-final whistle on the road aspect,” Morrison said. “You are necessarily crossing a linear park. Because they are connected, it goes through a series of loops. “
The MCT trail system includes nine wonderful trails that stretch for 137 miles, ranging from trails through ancient sprawling forests and unheard of views of the Mississippi River to urban trails connecting parks with areas.
And it’s not finished growing, Morrison said, many of the paintings will be smaller “connectors” that will bring in a combination of neighborhoods, parks, schools and business districts.
The most recent assignment is an 850-foot connecting sidewalk along the Troy-O’Fallon Highway from the TROY Park-Ride MCT terrain in the U.S. Even Turtle Creek in Troy.
Hit the trails
Bluff Trail: two-mile asphalt trail. From New Poag Road to Edwardsville along to Stadium Drive on the SIUE campus, the trail runs along the old Great American Bottoms cliff line on the SIUE campus, prairie food courts and school sports fields. Points of interest include a historic log cabin, Whiteside Cemetery, SIUE Korte Stadium, cricket ground, Simmons Cooper Stadium and other sports fields. Trail connections come with SIUE Delyte W. Morris Trail, the MCT Nature Trail, a 5-mile road connector to the MCT Confluence Trail
Confluence Trail: 20.5 miles of asphalt/oil and splinters. From Russell Commons Park in Alton to 20th Street in Granite City, along the Mississippi River and the Chain of Rocks Canal. The trail offers stunning insights from the Mississippi River, the Clark Bridge and a 900-foot bridge over Wood River Creek that offers trail enthusiasts some of Riverbend’s most productive landscapes. Points of interest include the National Museum of the Great Rivers, the Lewis-Clark Interpretation Center, the Alton Center, the Clark Bridge, the National Center for Research and Education of the Great Rivers. Trail accessories come with a 3-mile extension of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge to join the Riverfront Trail in St. Louis; McKinley Bridge bike lane to join you to the southern edge of the Riverfront Trail; New Poag Road, a 5.5-mile road accessory for MCT Bluff Trail. However, the southern component of the trail is recently closed to allow the reconstruction of the Merchant’s Bridge in Madison. You can park at Russell Commons Park, National Great River’s Museum (Alton); Eastgate Plaza (East Alton); Lewis-Clark Interpretation Center (Hartford); Old Rock Chain Bridge (Illinois side)
Goshen Trail: 19.5-mile paved trail. De Kyle Rd. to O’Fallon, St. Clair County, Troy, Maryville, Glen Carbon and Edwardsville to Wanda Rd in South Roxana. Connecting six trails and two counties that provide access to neighborhoods in downtown Madison County and northern St. Clair County, the trail features 10 tunnels and 8 bridges, allowing trail users to travel safely. The connections to the trail come with MCT Schoolhouse Trail, Ronald J. Foster MCT Heritage Trail, MCT Nature Trail, MCT Nickel Plate Trail, MCT Watershed Trail, Wanda Road and New Poag Road, a 5.8-mile road connector for the MCT Confluence Trail; or a 3.7-mile road connector to the MCT Bluff Trail. You can park at Kyle Road (O’Fallon), Old Troy Rd. State Route 162 (Troy) and Russell Drive (South Roxana).
Nature path: 15-mile asphalt. From Illinois State Route 159 to Edwardsville, after SIUE to Wilson Park in Granite City. Expect to see rabbits, turkeys and deer on this busy wooded trail that runs through streams and connects neighborhoods, schools and parks. Points of interest come with Edwardsville High School, University Park, SIUE, Horseshoe Lake State Park and Wilson Park. Trail connections come with MCT Schoolhouse Trail, MCT Bluff Trail, MCT Nickel Plate Trail, MCT Goshen Trail, SIUE Trails and Campuses and Granite City Wilson Park Trails. You can park on Longfellow and Nelson Avenues during Edwardsville High School (Edwardsville) non-school hours; Bicycle park and park in Revelle Lane (Pontoon Beach); and Wilson Park (Granite City).
Nickel Plate Trail: 28.5 mile asphalt/limestone trail. From S. Main Street to New Douglas to Old Edwardsville Road to Pontoon Beach, the trail is a mix of wood and farmland, with access to parks, neighborhoods and historic neighborhoods of Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. Points of Interest Include Edwardsville Township Park, Glen Carbon Miner Park, LCCC N.O. Nelson Campus, Edwardsville Children’s Museum, Alhambra Firefighter and Legion Park. The trail connections are on MCT Nature Trail, MCT Quercus Grove Trail, MCT Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail, motorcycle trails in The Edwardsville Field (Hazel Road, Maple Road, Columbia Road, Jerusalem Road, Spangle Road). You can park on Longfellow Road and on Illinois State Route 159, Lewis and Clark Community College N.O. Nelson Campus, Longfellow Avenues and Nelson, County Highway Building (Edwardsville); Miner Park and Glen Carbon Park – Ride Lot at Illinois State Route 157.
Quercus Grove Trail: 18.9 mile asphalt/limestone trail. Located on Schwarz and Springer streets in Edwardsville through the Edwardsville countryside to Hamel, Worden and Staunton (Worden); Watertower Park (Staunton), the trail connects the shops, cafes and government center of historic downtown Edwardsville with miles of fields and the communities of Hamel, Worden and Staunton. Connections to the trail come with the MCT nickel plate; motorcycle lanes in rural Edwardsville (Fruit Road, Blackburn Road, Staunton Road). You can park at MCT Park and Ride in Hillsboro, Old Carpenter Road (Edwardsville); Hamel Community Park (Hamel); Worden Park (Worden); and Watertower Park (Staunton).
Ronald J. Foster Heritage Trail – Trail 12.2 asphalt. Located on Main Street, near Glen Carbon Centennial Library and Marine Village Park, it is connected to Glen Carbon Parks and GreenSpaces, Madison Rural County and Marine Village Park. The links to the trail come with MCT Goshen Trail and MCT Nickel Plate Trail. You can park at Daenzer Drive (Glen Carbon); Marine Village Park (marine).
Schoolhouse Trail – 15.5 mile asphalt trail. It runs from Illinois State Route 162/Old Troy Road to Troy to Harrison Street and Madison. The trail features ancient forests, fields, Collinsville neighborhoods and Horseshoe Lake State Park offers a wide variety of panoramic views. Points of interest include Horseshoe Lake State Park, Metro East Park – Recreation District Office and a rest stop, a 1.6 km road connector to Gateway Center and Splash City Water Park, and Drost Park. The links to the trail come with MCT Nature Trail, MCT Goshen Trail and Horseshoe Lake State Park Trails. You can park at Horseshoe Lake State Park (Pontoon Beach), Gateway Center, MEPRD (Collinsville), Drost Park and Park-Bike Lot at Illinois State Route 162 (Maryville).
Basin Trail: 1.3-mile paved path. Located at W. Union in Edwardsville, it crosses the MCT Goshen Trail. It is located on Edwardsville’s oldest railroad line and passes through the Watershed Nature Center. The links to the trail come with Second Street, a 0.2-mile road connector to the Madison County Courthouse and Edwardsville MCT Station. You can park at the Watershed Nature Center on Terry Avenue (Edwardsville); many on the corner of Second and High streets in Edwardsville.
Source: Madison County Transit
The $176,520 allowance provides access for cyclists and pedestrians at Turtle Creek, a subdivision of more than 350 homes, in Park and Ride Park and downtown Troy. Park Park and Ride is also connected to a 0.6-mile motorcycle trail between the United States 40 and Spring Valley Road. And in the near future, a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will extend the trail 4,300 feet to Formosa Road.
Light rail corridors, and bike trails too
MCT’s trail network began in the early 1990s when then-general manager Jerry Kane, who resigned in December, began building deserted rail corridors in Madison County.
At the time, MetroLink was just getting started and the smooth rail formula was expected to eventually succeed in Madison County. Due to the importance of the railroads to the progression of Madison County, there were many rail corridors to consider.
“That’s one of the goals: to keep those transportation corridors,” Morrison said. “In most of the country, when the rail corridors were abandoned, they were sold to adjacent owners.”
But there is also some other component to the plan: the progression of bike and pedestrian paths.
“Jerry Kane is a visionary, he goes into those rail connections,” said Cindy Mense, CEO of Trailnet, a St. Louis-based trail advocacy group.
However, there is a problem; Under existing law, transit districts like MCT may not have bike lanes. Morrison said MCT was concerned about converting the law and that the Local Transit Act of 1993 allowed districts like MCT to get into the trail business.
“Once MCT approved to do so, we began the acquisition,” Morrison said.
Around the same time, a number of investment resources began to open, ranging from local and state grants to federal investments.
Morrison said one of the resources is a series of $ 200,000 matching grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“We were coming in and MCT was getting a lot of the grants,” Morrison said. “So much so that they implemented the Madison County Transit rule – that a single entity can only get two consistent grants per year.”
Another big push came in 2000 when the Metro East Parks and Recreation District (MEPRD) was formed with a project to expand an interconnected formula of motorcycle trails and parks, primarily in Madison and St. Clair counties. At the time, the MCT formula included approximately 75 miles of trails.
“We were very lucky,” Kane said at the time. “The timing of some things came at the same time, and we were a step forward from many communities.”
Morrison said the transit district was able to use its local budget to leverage other local and federal budgets to the point that they were able to invest about $ 40 million in the system.
Switch to smaller projects, as there are few more to be done
Most of the existing trails are enlarged from 15 to 28 miles. But the district now has much smaller connectors, in components because there are few options for laying longer trails.
“MCT largely built the formula on our existing rail corridors,” Morrison said. “We lack rail corridors to build.
“What we are doing is partnering with municipalities to take this framework that we have built and expand it to neighborhoods, parks, universities and colleges, as well as advertising areas,” he said. “People use bike lanes to get to those other destinations,” he says.
They have a series of planned:
• Extension of the Schoolhouse Trail to Pleasant Ridge Park in Maryville for a fee of $ 370,000. The assignment includes a three hundred foot trail connection to the park.
• The 4,300-foot extension of Formosa Drive at $ 400,000.
• Paving Nickle Plat Trail from Madison County Truck Garage to Peradotti Lane in rural Edwardsville. The estimated charge is $ 400,000. The moment phase comes to the paving of the trail from Peradotti Lane to Blackburn at a charge of $ 600,000.
All of those projects are in design and ready for bidding.
MCT runs the 1.5-mile Formosa West Trail in Collinsville.
The allocation is expected to be around $ 2.5 million, funded through the MEPRD.
“This gets us to reassemble an old rail corridor,” Morrison said. “Thirteen packages, and we already have part of them.”
MCT also comes with a “orientation” mapping of signage on the trails. Assigning the identity of all MCT Trail intersections, then installing junction signaling. Additional signage would be placed in communities to direct the public to MCT trails, then to mile markers and interpretive panels along the trails.
“To some, this would possibly seem like an exaggeration,” Morrison said. “You’ll be surprised.”
He noted that mileage markers are also an additional protection feature. These will be checkpoints on the trail itself, such as “G15” for mile 15 of the Goshen Trail.
“This mile marker is unique to this location,” he says. “There is one.”
Building beauty
MCT’s board also has beautification projects, he said.
“The trails are already beautiful, however, we have very visual spaces of the thoroughway that are also busy rail corridors,” Morrison said.
The council lately has five separate assignments on The Schoolhouse Trail, Plum Street Junction in Edwardsville, Nature Trail at Pontoon Beach and Victory and Costello in Granite City; and the Nickle Plate Trail near Illinois 162 at Glen Carbon. The Schoolhouse Trail assignment would likely come with the deciduous tree plantation between Illinois 157 and Interstate 255.
“What if we plant a hundred trees in this corridor, hardwoods?” Morrison said. “You would have this hallway in fall colors. Could be a signature piece for the road.
The Plum Street Junction project, where multiple trails meet, may come with “spring plantings” with flowering trees, Morrison said.
“There are many ideas,” he says. “We’re going to go through to start on those five shots and go from there.”
Dreams without funds
MCT has several unfunded plans that await approval of a grant.
These come with the collection component of the Confluence Trail in Alton, which has a low point near the Great Rivers Research Center. Morrison said it tended to flood and they sought to point upward. The charge is estimated at about $ 330,000.
They also need to rebuild the Pontoon Beach Nature Trial component, which runs under I-255 near Illinois 162. The charge has been estimated at $ 330,000.
The community is also seeking a 4,200 foot trail between Emerson Avenue and Irma Avenue in the Leclaire community of Edwardsville. Morrison said it was one of the last undeveloped rail corridors in the county. The charge is estimated at $ 763,000, in component because it would require two box culverts.
Two longer-term projects are an Illinois 157 and Horseshoe Lake Road tunnel for Schoolhouse Trail and a bridge for Schoolhouse Trail over Illinois 111 in Pontoon Beach.
In any case, a main factor is safety.
In Illinois 157, the trail crosses five lanes of traffic at a busy intersection.
Increased traffic is also a problem in Illinois 111, but a tunnel is a problem due to groundwater.
“Wouldn’t it be great if you could get through (Illinois 111) with a bridge?” Morrison said. “It is becoming increasingly clear that a point separation, either above or below, would be particularly protective of this intersection.”
The two projects would be around four million dollars each.
Why are trails important?
“More and more, owners, visitors and citizens are looking for a way to get outside,” said Morrison. “They are for physical fitness. They are for recreation and an affordable way to bring the entire circle of relatives together. “
He added that the neighborhoods where there is interest in “the search for recreation” are those that are being developed.
“We know our members use those trails in Madison County,” Mense said.
Part of it is a sense of security.
“It becomes incredibly important, especially during COVID,” he said. “Children can be several feet in front of you and you can keep them in place.”
There’s an economic interest.
Morrison said he knows other people who are planning vacations in this domain just to cycle the trails. He said they were sending thousands of copies of the trail maps to others outside of Madison County.
“People use the trails to get to the pictures and the school,” he said. “Even in winter, if there is no snow on the ground, other people use the trails.”
In addition to hyper-local trips, some trails will cover longer distances on MCT buses.
Since the early 2000s, all MCT buses have been equipped with front-loading bike racks. Several of the exit problems are the bus stops.
“This is the best solution for us because we are in the transportation business and it provides that healthy option for transportation and recreation,” Morrison said. “Plus, it preserves those corridors and is helping to expand our bus system.
“If you can get off the bus, get on your motorcycle and take the last mile home … you can take other people there, but how do you get them for that last mile?” he said. “The motorcycle option is a wonderful option, and when you can integrate our trails, it’s even better.”
It’s a general quality of life problem, according to Morrison.
“By beautifying the trails, improving the trails, we are getting a better life in Madison County,” he said.