St. Clair County officials officially opened the latest stretch of the MetroBikeLink on Saturday, cutting the ribbon on a $6 million, 4.5-mile extension that runs from the Shiloh-Scott transit center toward MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. What had been a months-long construction corridor is now a paved multiuse trail lined with native flowers and wetland views, and dozens of cyclists showed up at Shiloh-Scott for an inaugural ride. The opening represents the first completed piece of a three-part project tied to the larger MetroLink expansion to the airport.
In a press release, the St. Clair County Transit District said the new segment runs parallel to the MetroLink alignment and “marks the completion of the first of three parts of the MetroLink Expansion Project to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.” Construction on the trail began in 2023 and wrapped up in June, and the district said the MetroLink extension and associated roadway work are expected to open in late summer.
What the new trail looks like
The paved path hugs the existing rail right-of-way and threads through the Silver Creek wetlands, crossing three new bridges and rolling over gentle inclines that are tailor-made for riders looking to build speed and endurance, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. County Board Chairman Mark Kern told the crowd the trail “checks a lot of boxes,” and event photos show the route framed by native flowers, with a fawn darting through the grass for extra local color. After the ribbon was cut, the gathered bicyclists headed out from the Shiloh-Scott station toward the airport for a first spin on the new pavement.
Funding and regional ties
The transit district reported that it covered roughly $5.5 million of the project cost, with another $300,000 coming from the Metro East Park and Recreation District and $200,000 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The district describes MetroBikeLink as the backbone of a growing 40-mile trail system that connects multiple Metro transit centers, so riders can combine longer bike trips with train or bus rides instead of depending solely on cars.
What’s next
Officials said the second piece of the overall project, a 2.4-mile extension of a frontage road, is expected to be finished in about two weeks, and construction crews have already completed the track work for the final MetroLink phase, which is now in safety testing. As reported by the Belleville News-Democrat, the district anticipates MetroLink service to MidAmerica will begin in late summer, further tightening the airport’s connection to the regional rail network.
For cyclists, the new stretch offers a quick, traffic-free option for training runs or commutes, and it strengthens the region’s multimodal web. Metro’s project pages present the rail extension as part of a broader push to better knit together bike, bus, and rail service across the bi-state area, giving riders more ways to move without getting behind the wheel.
