The Blog Page

News, commentary and humor about bicycling and other topics of the day

 

McKinley Bridge dedication

Just a reminder: The dedication of the refurbished McKinley Bridge, which connects St. Louis with Venice, Ill., will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday on the Illinois side of the bridge.

After the dedication, the bridge won't be open to vehicles until later this month, when the two vehicular lanes will be open to the public. Illinois Department of Transportation construction engineer Ted Nemsky told the Belleville News-Democrat that "very minor" steel repairs remain, bridge and bike rails need to be installed, and some touch-up painting needs to be completed.

Once the bridge is open to cyclists, there will be no direct connections -- for now, anyway -- from the bridge to any existing trails, the Riverfront Trail in Missouri and the Madison County Transit's Confluence and Schoolhouse trails in Illinois, but you can use streets and highways to get to them.

A trail to connect the bridge with the bridge with the Confluence Trail is likely to be finished in 2008. Until then, you can use Illinois Route 3 to get to 20th Street in Granite City, the southern trailhead of the confluence trail. The trail is on the west side of Route 3. Between the bridge and 20th Street, Route 3 has a wide, paved shoulder.

There also will be a direct connection from the bridge to the Riverfront Trail. Until then, you can take the bridge to the North Broadway intersection in St. Louis. Turn right on North Broadway, turn right on East Grand Avenue, turn left on Hall Street, turn right on East Prairie Avenue, and that will take you to the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing stop on the Riverfront Trail.

Someday, MCT hopes to connect the Schoolhouse Trail to the bridge, but that's many years down the road. I suppose you can go from the bridge to the Route 3/Broadway intersection in Venice, turn right on Route 3/Broadway, stay on Broadway when Route 3 veers to the right, turn right on Second Street in the city of Madison, turn right on Illinois Route 203 (McCambridge Avenue), turn right on Harrison Street and hop on the trail there.

However, I would advise you not take to use option unless you're sure of where you're going and feel comfortable riding in urban areas. A wrong turn could put you in some dicey neighborhoods in the Venice-Madison area.

Labels: Illinois, McKinley Bridge, MCT Trails, Missouri, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:01 PM   

Saturday, October 27, 2007

St. Louis-area bicycle projects

Two St. Louis-area bicycle project made the news this week.

First, the dedication of the rebuilt McKinley Bridge is slated for Nov. 17, the Belleville News-Democrat reported today. The 92-year-old bridge -- which links the city of St. Louis with Venice, Ill. -- was originally built for railroad traffic, and two lanes were automobiles were built on the outside of the original bridge in the 1930s. Railroad traffic stopped on the bridge in the 1980s, and the bridge was closed in 2001 because of unsafe conditions.

When the bridge reopens, the two inner lanes of the bridge will be used for automobile traffic, the 12-foot south outer lane will be used for a bicycle-pedestrian path, and the 12-foot north outer lane will be used for maintenance purposes.

In a related project, the Great Rivers Greenway District wants to turn a mile-long former Illinois Traction System trestle into a bicycle-pedestrian trail that would connect city streets near Cass and North Florissant avenues in St. Louis by an overhead ride to the Riverfront Bike Trail, near the McKinley Bridge. The Greenway District didn't have a price tag for the project but would like to begin construction within five years, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Illinois Traction System, later known as the Illinois Terminal Railroad, once carried rail passengers from St. Louis into Illinois cites such as Granite City, Edwardsville, Alton, Grafton, Springfield, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign-Urbana and Danville. The McKinley Bridge was part of that system.

Much of the current Madison County Transit trail system is on former ITS rights of way, as is some of the Vadalabene Great River Road Bikeway between Alton and Grafton.

In Macoupin County, Ill., a short trail linking the communities of Benld and Gillespie is on a former ITS right of way, and the ITS Trail Committee is trying to obtain the right of way for a trail to link Staunton and Benld. The seven-mile Interurban Trail between Springfield and Chatham also is on a former ITS right of way.

The long-term goal is to develop a system of trails that will link St. Louis and Springfield.

Labels: Illinois, McKinley Bridge, MCT Trails, St. Louis

Roger 2 comments links to this post 11:29 AM   

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Jogger attacked on MCT Nature Trail

If you live in the St. Louis area, you pretty much had to be hiding under a rock Monday to have not heard about the attack on a female jogger that took place Sunday on the Madison County Transit Nature Trail in Edwardsville.

The good news is that Edwardsville Police have a suspect, although he was not in custody as of this morning. Also, the woman escaped his attacker and suffered only minor injuries.

The crime got big play in St. Louis-area media outlets, including the one I work for, the Belleville News-Democrat. My hope is that the extensive coverage prompts people to be more careful while using the trails, but that it doesn't create paranoia that prompt people to stop using the St. Louis region's trails.

The attack in Edwardsville also brought back reminders of an August 2006 attack that took place on the MetroLink Trail in Belleville. No suspect has been arrested in that particular attack. That attack prompted the organizers of the Tour de Belleville bicycle ride, which will take place July 13, to use proceeds from this year's ride to purchase emergency telephones that will be installed along the trail.

Police and MCT believe trails are generally safe places to be. Edwardsville Police Lt. Scott Evers said there have not been any other attacks on the miles of MCT Trails that go through his city, and MCT released this statement on the trails:

"Thanks to existing security measures and a solid working relationship with law enforcement agencies in the communities served by the MCT bikeway system, tens of thousands of individuals safely enjoy the trails every year. MCT continues to believe that the trails are safe and that this was an isolated, unfortunate incident."

Nevertheless, Edwardsville Police offered several tips to stay safe on the trails, including cycling, running or walking with a friend or in groups and exercising only during daylight hours.

Here are some links to coverage on the attack:

Belleville News-Democrat
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The (Alton) Telegraph
Edwardsville Intelligencer
KSDK-TV
KMOV-TV
KTVI-TV
KPLR-TV

Labels: MCT Trails, safety, trails

Roger 0 comments links to this post 9:18 AM   

Monday, April 02, 2007

MCT Nature Trail closes Tuesday

As I mentioned Thursday, Madison County Transit will be resurfacing the MCT Nature Trail because of massive cracks in the pavement. On Thursday, the timetable had not been set.

That's no longer the case. Beginning Tuesday, April 3, the MCT Nature Trail will be closed from Sand Road, south to Anderson Lane in Pontoon Beach for reconstruction. The trail will reopen in this area on June 1. For your safety, MCT is asking cyclists to avoid the trail in this area.

Thanks to MCT's extensive trail system, you'll still be able to ride on a trail between the Granite City/Pontoon Beach area and the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area while work is being done on the Nature Trail. Instead of using the Nature Trail, you can use the Nickel Plate Trail, which intersects with the Nature Trail near Long Lake, and take the Nickel Plate Trail through Glen Carbon into Edwardsville.

Labels: MCT Trails, trails

Roger 0 comments links to this post 8:25 PM   

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Thank God for duct tape!

Way back in November, I had to buy a roll of duct tape during the BubbaFest bicycle tour of the Florida Keys to keep my bike pump on my rental bike for the trip.

It's a good thing I had that duct tape today.

Several of us from the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society did an informal ride on the MCT Trail system with a finishing stop at the Vintner's Cellar Winery in Edwardsville. It was a bright, sunny day with winds from the west of about 22-24 mph, but the winds weren't the worst of it for me.

When I took the bike out my car, I noticed a small bump in my front tire. I probably should have something about it then, but I thought it would make it through a 13-mile ride.

About three-quarters of the way through the ride, the bump was getting more noticeable. I deflated the tube and found that the Kevlar bands were starting to separate. I figured a couple of layers of duct tape would see that tire through, and I was back on the road.

As I was pedaling north on the Goshen Trail, I started hearing a pinging sound. I thought at first it was a brake pad that was rubbing, but that wasn't it. Less than 100 yards later, my rear tube popped.

While examining the tire, I noticed interior fibers of the tire stick out of it. Sure enough, the Kevlar bands were separating in the rear tire as well. Out came the duct tape again, and I put three layers of it over the gash. Fortunately, my buddy Charles Beil was in the vicinity and helped me get back on the trail.

The tires made it the final three miles back to the winery. It looks like I get to go the bike shop tomorrow!

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, MCT Trails, repairs, wine

Roger 0 comments links to this post 7:58 PM   

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Work planned for MCT Nature Trail

Madison County Transit soon will be replacing the pavement on a section of the MCT Nature Trail between Pontoon Beach and Edwardsville, Ill., that is in dire need of repair.

Dan Corbett, a friend of mine and a member of MCT's board of trustees, said the board today accepted bids on the project.

The section of the Nature Trail that will be affected by the repairs is between Chain of Rocks Road just outside Edwardsville and the junction with the MCT Nickel Plate Trail near Long Lake in Pontoon Beach.

That section of the trail will be closed during the repaving, but no exact timetable has been set for the work.

At the moment, that section of trail is open, but please use caution and watch for warning signs and cones -- especially if you ride a road bike. The cracks in the pavement can easily catch a road tire.

The reason why the section of the Nature Trail has deteriorated so much is because of the soil conditions beneath the trail surface, Dan said. Work will be done to the bed beneath the trail to make it better suited to handle an asphalt trail.

Thanks to MCT's extensive trail system, you'll still be able to ride on a trail between the Granite City/Pontoon Beach area and the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area while work is being done on the Nature Trail. Instead of using the Nature Trail, you can use the Nickel Plate Trail between Long Lake and the eastern end of the Nature Trail.

Labels: bicycling, MCT Trails, trails

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:42 PM