MetroBikeLink System – Ride. Walk. Bike.
EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS AND ENJOY FUN, FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES ON THE METROBIKELINK SYSTEM
The St. Clair County Transit District’s MetroBikeLink System consists of more than 39 miles of interconnecting trails and bike paths in Southwestern Illinois.
The main artery of this ever-evolving system is the MetroBikeLink – a trail running adjacent to the MetroLink alignment, starting at the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center and extending 14 miles to the Fairview Heights Transit Center. This trail links residents to a total of six Metro Transit Centers in four different communities, offering seamless integration of biking and transit use via the MetroLink and MetroBus, as well as microtransit options like the SCCTD Flyer.
The trails are made possible through St. Clair County Transit District, public funding and partnerships with local stakeholders and organizations, including the Metro East Park and Recreation District, an organization that has assisted with nearly every constructed trail.
Completed Trails
- Orchard Loop Trail 4.7 miles
- MetroBikeLink Trail 14.5 miles
- Engelmann Farm Connector 1.3 miles
- St. Ellen Park Trail 1 mile
- Old Collinsville Road Trail 3.5 miles
- Tecklenburg Trail 1.1 miles
Trails Under Construction
- MetroBikeLink Trail Extension from the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport 5 miles
- Liberty Heights Trail 1.3 miles
Trails Under Design
- Bunkum Road Trail 0.2 mile
- Fairview Heights – Swansea Trail 4.7 miles
- Carlyle Avenue Trail (Rt 161) 2 miles
Take a virtual tour of the MetroBikeLink Trail between the six Transit Centers:
- Shiloh to College
- College to Belleville
- Belleville to Swansea
- Swansea to Memorial
- Memorial to Fairview Heights
Completed Trails
Orchard Loop Trail
The Orchard Loop Trail is a smooth asphalt pathway, located along four miles of rolling hills that veers off the MetroBikeLink Trail near the Fox Valley subdivision. The trail passes by Belle Valley Elementary School before crossing over Eckert’s Family Farm. It then loops over Green Mount Road to the east, providing safe passage over the busy highway and connecting to The Orchards subdivision in Belleville. A trailhead with parking can be found at Eckert’s, located at 951 S Green Mount Road, outside of Belleville.
MetroBikeLink Trail
This trail is 14.5 miles of trail which runs from the Fairview Heights Transit Center to the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center. It follows the old CSX rail alignment and Schoenberger Creek through the hills and hollers of the Dutch Hollow area of Belleville and Fairview Heights. It passes by what was once the Winslow Mining Company, which was a stop on the St. Louis and Southeastern Railway acquired by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1879. There were several other mines along this scenic, pastoral pathway.
Engelmann Farm Connector
The 10-foot-wide, shared-use path is located on the west side of Shiloh Station Road. It extends 1.3 miles north along Shiloh Station Road connecting to the Village of Shiloh’s pedestrian system connecting to the St Clair County Engleman Farm Park.
St. Ellen Park Trail
The St. Ellen Trail is a 1-mile-long paved trail that extends from Collinsville Road Trail and Ashland Ave to Hartman Lane in O’Fallon. The trail links residents to neighborhoods and schools, as well as to St. Ellen Park, a former coal strip mine featuring a 1.2-mile walking path that connect to the St. Ellen Trail. The trail was completed in two phases. SCCTD partnered with the City of O’Fallon and Caseyville Township to double the length of the trail, and the entire segment was widened and resurfaced as part of Phase 2, bringing it up to current MetroBikeLink Trail standards. Parking is available at St. Ellen Park, located at 200 St. Ellen Road in O’Fallon, Ill.
Old Collinsville Road Trail
This corridor is a 3.5-mile paved path, extending from Lebanon Avenue in Belleville to Ashland Ave in Fairview Heights, and includes a connection to Swansea’s Clinton Hill Recreation Park as well as St. Ellen Park.
Tecklenburg Trail
This corridor is a 1.1-mile bike and pedestrian pathway extending from 66th & Main Street in Belleville running through the St Clair County owned Tecklenburg Forest Preserve to the MetroBikeLink Trail near the Dutch Hollow/Llewellyn roads. This trail connects residents in the West Belleville area to the trail system. The trail provides a very scenic addition, transversing through wooded/remote areas and features a 400-foot-long bridge over IL Route 161 and Schoenberger Creek.
Trails Under Construction
MetroBikeLink Trail Extension from the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center to MidAmerica Airport
The new, 5-mile trail is being constructed in conjunction with the MetroLink expansion project currently underway to extend to the rail system from the existing Shiloh-Scott Transit Center to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah. This paved trail will run parallel to the alignment.
Liberty Heights Trail
This .75-mile trail will follow the former St Louis Electric Railway, which ran between the St Louis EADS Bridge to the City of Lebanon. This is a scenic corridor with abundant with wildlife, trees and flora. This trail is being built between Union Hill Road and St. Clair Road. A large box culvert tunnel will be provided at Liberty Road to maintain the existing grade-separated crossing. The former St Louis Electric Train Line Trail will provide pedestrian connectivity to sidewalks in Fairview Heights and will serve as a key connector between the planned future trail corridors along Sullivan Road/Union Hill Road and Bunkum Road.
Trails Under Design
Fairview Heights – Swansea Trail
This proposed 4.7-mile bike and pedestrian pathway will extend from the traffic signal at the intersection of Illinois Route 161 and Sullivan Drive in Belleville to Frank Scott Parkway in Fairview Heights. The paved, 10-foot-wide trail will be a shared-use path (bike and pedestrian) within the county’s right of way along Sullivan Road. This phase of the trail will connect over 2,000 homes in Swansea and Fairview Heights within the following 14 subdivisions to the trail system: Willow Walk, Sullivan Meadows, Cobblestone Park, Sullivan Farms. Sullivan Manors, Larkin Meadows, Fairfield Manor, Wild Horse Meadows, Quail Ridge, Barrington Place, Greenbriar Meadows, Meadowlake Acres, Countryview Estates and Huntleigh Place.
Bunkum Road Trail
This project will be designed and constructed into four phases. Phase I is a .2-mile section running from Grant School at Lincoln Trail north to Emma Lane, Phase II will run from Emma Lane to Interstate 64, Phase III will be the pedestrian bridge of Interstate 64 and Phase IV will run begin at the Pedestrian Bridge at Interstate 64 to Pleasant Hill Road.
Carlyle Avenue Trail (Rt 161)
This shared-use path is approximately 2.0 miles long, from Belleville East High School to SWIC Campus with access to the College M
Find your community’s map here.
Ride. Walk. Bike.
The MetroBikeLink system is a great way to get out and explore Southwestern Illinois through walking or biking with or without a link to transit.
As a reminder, all of these trails are made possible through the St. Clair County Transit District, public funds and partnerships with local stakeholders and organizations, including MetroEast Park and Recreation District, who has assisted with nearly every trail SCCTD has constructed.
MetroBikeLink is the ped/bike link to our transit system and a key component to an integrated, multi-modal transportation system is southwestern Illinois.
Get out explore with your bike and transit.
