GLEN CARBON – A shared use path connecting Glen Carbon residents to the Edwardsville High School campus and beyond is moving ahead with village approval.
On June 9, 2026, trustees unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement between the Village of Glen Carbon, the City of Edwardsville, and the Madison County Transit District to build a shared use path on Route 157. The Village Board also approved a related agreement with TWM, Inc. for the Route 157 shared use path.
Public Works Director Scott Slemer said the proposed shared use path will connect the northwest side of the village to the Edwardsville High School campus as part of a larger trail connection project spanning Glen Carbon and Edwardsville.
“The shared use path will provide Ginger Creek, Meridian Plaza, and other residents in the northwest portion of the village direct connection to the District 7 High School campus and ultimately connect the trail system via a future Center Grove Road shared use path that will be constructed by the City of Edwardsville,” Slemer said.
The project scope includes the design and construction of a 10-foot-wide, ADA-accessible shared use path along the east side of Route 157. The path would span from Magnolia Drive to Center Grove Road before continuing along the south side of Center Grove Road to the District 7 Pedestrian Tunnel. The cost of this work totals $198,735, according to a Public Works Department memo on the project.
This shared use path is part of a larger trail connection project totaling an estimated $1.9 million to link the Ginger Creek subdivision and Meridian Plaza in Glen Carbon to the Edwardsville Township Park and Madison County Transit (MCT) trail system. Of that total, MCT has agreed to contribute $880,000 and Edwardsville has agreed to cover the $83,000 construction engineering cost associated with their portion of the larger trail, which would run from Ginger Creek to Edwardsville High School.
Glen Carbon is seeking $200,000 in Metro East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD) grant funds for the project, which would bring the village’s total cost for the overall trail connection project to $750,355. While Mayor Bob Marcus said his requests for additional funding from Edwardsville and/or MCT were declined, he emphasized the value of the project for local residents.
“The reason why we want to do this project potentially is because we have 600 houses, approximately, [in] Ginger Greek, Meridian Plaza, this will connect to Timberwolf and Meridian Lane,” Marcus said. “So it is a very high value for connectivity for our residents.”
Under the agreement, Glen Carbon and Edwardsville are separately responsible for maintaining the portions of the shared use path in their respective jurisdictions once constructed. Final plans and specifications for the Glen Carbon section of the path are set to be completed in time for construction bids to be opened in the spring of 2027.
