Good River: Wood River Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
The City of Wood River unanimously adopted their Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan by HeartLands Conservancy in February! The plan captures the community’s vision for creating a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly community, reducing air pollution, encouraging economic development and recreation, and creating a well-designed, connected, and efficient transportation system. Wood River is a prime spot to connect some of the region’s best trails, including the Madison County Transit (MCT) Confluence Trail along the Mississippi River and the MCT Watershed Trail, which connects to the trail network in Edwardsville. In addition to creating an amenity for residents, this east-west connection has the potential to enhance tourism by bringing visitors to Wood River. HeartLands Conservancy is proud to have provided technical planning assistance to complete the plan, along with engineers Oates and Associates. City leaders are already pursuing funds to build high-priority trails. The HLC planning team is excited to see good things happening in Wood River!
Grants from two organizations funded this plan. The Metro East Parks and Recreation District (MEPRD) and the Agency for Community Transit (ACT) provided matching funds to cover the planning process‘s costs with no additional cash expenditures from the City of Wood River.
During the process, HLC demonstrated a “pop-up” Bike Trail, including a temporary ladder-style crosswalk, bike lane, and street features, such as bike racks, benches, trees and planters, and shade for the bus stop. These modest improvements resulted in positive feedback.
Communities or groups interested in HLC‘s planning assistance may contact Laura Lyon at laura.lyon@heartlandsconservancy.org or (618) 566-4451 ext 22.
