BELLEVILLE – Representatives of St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) today joined with local officials, stakeholders and residents to celebrate the grand opening of the $4.3 million Tecklenburg Trail in Belleville. The new, 1.1-mile, paved bike and pedestrian pathway will connect residents in West Belleville, Ill., to the St. Clair County Transit District’s ever-evolving MetroBikeLink System that currently consists of more than 39 miles of interconnecting trails and bike paths in St. Clair County. As part of the ribbon cutting ceremony held for the new trail segment, SCCTD officials also announced the completion of more than $650,000 in communications, safety and wayfinding enhancements to its system of trails.
The Tecklenburg Trail extends from 66th and Main Streets through the Tecklenburg Forest Preserve to the MetroBikeLink Trail near Dutch Hollow and Llewellyn roads, running along a scenic route that transverses through wooded and other remote areas. The segment features a 400-foot-long bridge over Illinois 161, providing access to hundreds of nearby residents.
During the grand opening ceremony, those in attendance heard remarks from St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern, Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory and SCCTD’s Managing Director Ken Sharkey about how continuing investment in the MetroBikeLink system is positively impacting the communities in St. Clair County. After the ribbon was cut, guests were then invited to explore the new segment.
“We salute the St. Clair County Transit District and everyone else who partnered to make this project come to life – including the late Fred J. Tecklenburg,” commented St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern. “He was a local lawyer with community-minded foresight who served as the state’s attorney for St. Clair County. He deeded 34 acres of forest-preserved land to St. Clair County in 1946 and it is only fitting that the trail has been named in honor of him.”
Construction on the trail commenced in January 2024 and was completed within a year by HANK’s Excavating & Landscaping, TWM, Inc., and members of the Southwestern Illinois Building and Trades Council. SCCTD, in partnership with students from Althoff High School and HANK’s Excavating & Landscaping, will be planting 120 sugar maple, shellback hickory pecan and swamp white oak trees along the Tecklenburg Trail in April to preserve the local forest for decades to come.
Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory added, “This new trail serves as a key connector to West Belleville, allowing residents direct access to the expansive MetroBikeLink System of trails while enabling those from other parts of the region to frequent local eateries and other establishments. This will help further stimulate the local economy.”
While the Tecklenburg Trail was being constructed, SCCTD was simultaneously integrating more than $650,000 in communications, safety and wayfinding enhancements along its MetroBikeLink System. These improvements were completed in December 2024 and include the installation of 14 long-distance wireless emergency call boxes, six trail cameras and wayfinding signage. The call boxes will allow those on the trails to report accidents, injuries or suspicious activities directly to the Emergency Management Agency which handles 911 calls. The trail cameras, which are designed to add extra security, are strategically positioned along trails in Swansea and Belleville. Trail and trailhead signs, mile markets and other types of wayfinding signage have also been installed system wide for ease of navigation.
“The MetroBikeLink System is an unmatched community amenity that allows users to integrate biking, walking and public transportation use to get where they need to go,” commented Ken Sharkey, managing director of the St. Clair County Transit District, which established and maintains the MetroBikeLink System. “The opening of the Tecklenburg Trail, coupled with the rollout of our communications and wayfinding enhancements, is yet another example of our commitment to community. We encourage area residents to get out and enjoy all the MetroBikeLink has to offer.”
The first section of the MetroBikeLink System opened in 2002 and was comprised of a four-mile trail, extending from Southwestern Illinois College to the Swansea Transit Center. Since then, this section has expanded into what is known today as the 14-mile MetroBikeLink Trail, which serves as the main artery of the MetroBikeLink System. The trail runs adjacent to the MetroLink alignment from the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center to the Fairview Heights Transit Center, linking residents to six Metro Transit Centers in four different communities and offering seamless integration of biking and transit use via the MetroLink, MetroBus and microtransit service options like the SCCTD Flyer. Over the years, additional trails have been built by SCCTD, including the 4.7-mile SCCTD Orchard Loop Trail, 1.3-mile Engelmann Park Connector, 1-mile St. Ellen Park Trail and 3.5-mile Old Collinsville Road Trail. Several other trails are currently under design or construction – including the 5.2-mile SCCTD MetroBikeLink Trail from the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. These pathways – along with the connecting trails from other municipalities – combine to provide over 39 miles of connected trails throughout Southwestern Illinois.
To learn more about SCCTD’s MetroBikeLink System, visit www.scctd.org/metrobikelink.
