St. Clair County Transit District celebrates the grand opening of its $6 million, 4.5-mile MetroBikeLink Trail extension, enhancing community connectivity and outdoor recreation opportunities.
WHO: St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern, Managing Director of St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) Ken Sharkey, Chair of SCCTD’s Board of Trustees George Markezich, and other project partners, local officials, stakeholders, bike/transit riders and residents
WHAT: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Inaugural Bike Ride in celebration of the new $6 million, 4.5-mile MetroBikeLink Trail extension from the Scott-Shiloh Transit Center to near MidAmerica St. Louis Airport
WHEN: Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 9 a.m.
WHERE: Scott-Shiloh Transit Center, located at 880 Metro Plaza Lane, Shiloh, IL 62221
SIGNIFICANCE: Local officials, stakeholders and residents will gather to celebrate the grand opening of the $6 million, 4.5-mile expansion of the MetroBikeLink Trail. The new trail segment runs parallel to the alignment from the existing bike path at Shiloh-Scott Transit Center to near MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. It features scenic views, rolling inclines, three bridges, no stops and passes through Silver Creek Wetlands, home to native wildlife. The trail is ideal for cyclists looking to build speed and endurance. The MetroBikeLink Trail is the spine of the MetroBikeLink System – consisting of 40 miles of interconnecting trails throughout St. Clair County. It runs adjacent to the MetroLink alignment for more than 18 miles between the Fairview Heights Transit Center to near MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. It connects to seven Metro Transit Centers in five different communities – offering seamless integration of biking and transit use via the MetroLink, MetroBus and microtransit options like the SCCTD Flyer.
Those in attendance will hear formal remarks from officials before taking part in a ribbon cutting ceremony and getting to explore the new segment. This milestone marks the completion of the first of three parts of the MetroLink Expansion Project to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, with associated roadway improvements opening in the coming weeks and the MetroLink extension anticipated to begin service in late summer.
Featured image is a courtesy of The Hauser Group
To learn more about SCCTD’s MetroBikeLink System, visit www.scctd.org/metrobikelink.
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