Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Macomb moves ahead with trail plan for pedestrians, bicyclists

Macomb currently has a few on-street bicycle routes, including this one on East Carroll Street.
Rich Egger
/
TSPR
Macomb currently has a few on-street bicycle routes, including this one on East Carroll Street.

The Macomb city council voted unanimously in favor of adopting an Active Transportation Vision Plan for the community.

The document will guide city officials as they work to create a network of paths for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“The city is very excited to move this forward, and we greatly appreciate all the feedback that the residents have provided us,” said Community Development Director Miranda Lambert.

She said by having a plan in place, the city has a better chance of receiving grants to help pay for the work.

Lambert said they’re currently in the process of applying for funding from the US Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program. She said the grant would help the city extend its existing on-street east-west bike routes on Carroll and Washington streets.

She said the city would also like to add a north-south corridor of on-street bike routes, and then get an engineering study done for an off-road path for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“The long-term goal here is to get a multi-use path that would circle Macomb. And that would be its own path that could have bikes, that could have pedestrians walking,” Lambert said.

She said it would tie into the newly created multi-use path in Patton Park on the city’s south side.

The first step in creating the multi-use path is to have an engineering study completed. The city will seek a grant a to pay for at least a portion of the study’s cost.

She said progress on the vision plan will depend on the availability of grants.

Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department, please consider making a financial contribution.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.