Madison County Transit Unveils New Pedestrian Bridge Over IL-111

PONTOON BEACH - Madison County Transit celebrated the opening of a new pedestrian/bike bridge in Pontoon Beach.

The MCT 111 Trail Bridge crosses over IL-111. During a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 25, 2026, MCT Managing Director SJ Morrison expressed his appreciation for the communities that worked to install the bridge.

“It takes vision, it takes support, it takes financial backing in order to make a project like this happen, and that only happens if you have the support of a governing body, or in our case, governing bodies, to take on projects like this,” Morrison said.

This pedestrian/bike bridge is the 51st official MCT Trails bridge. The 640-foot-long bridge cost $6.3 million to build, with funding from MCT and the Metro East Park and Recreation District.

The three-span tied-arch truss bridge features a 60-foot tall arch. Morrison noted that this is a rare kind of bridge in the region. He also believes it is “the biggest” in the Greater St. Louis area.

“It’s one of the few of its kind for a bike/ped bridge in the entire St. Louis region,” he said.

Morrison thanked the Metro East Park and Recreation District and the Illinois Department of Transportation for their work to make the bridge possible. He acknowledged engineering and contracting work done by Oates Associates and Keeley & Sons.

He also recognized the elected officials who were represented at the ribbon-cutting, and he gave special thanks to Pontoon Beach and Nameoki Township administrators. Board members with MCT and the Agency for Community Transit (ACT) were also present.

Morrison gave a special shoutout to Ron Jedda, the previous chairman of the MCT board, who encouraged the board to “improve safety and accessibility on the MCT trails” through bridges like this.

“Projects like this don’t just materialize,” Morrison said. “It takes a detail-oriented team of people. It takes time to conceptualize, to design, to engineer, and construct.”

Morrison added that the “signature bridge” creates a “striking profile” as it towers over IL-111 and Horseshoe Lake Road. He emphasized the importance of accessibility and argued that the bridge will make the trails even more accessible for community members to enjoy.

“This represents the 73rd structure on the MCT Trails that safely carries trail-goers over creeks and roads and streets and other obstacles that would either slow or stop the seamless accessibility of the trails for trail-users of all ages and all abilities. That is important to us,” he said. “It is important that our people have access to our trails, regardless of age or ability. This bridge is another representative of that vision. We are committed, literally, to raising the bar and blazing a trail to create one of the most extensive Class 1 bikeway systems in the Midwest for both our residents and visitors.”

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