Yellowhammer Connector

There is a rich network of trails throughout Madison County, connecting neighborhoods, schools, parks, and downtown areas. Among them is the Delyte Morris Trail, a pedestrian path that winds for more than two miles through the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The trail runs indirectly along North University Drive, continuing to New Poag Road and into downtown Edwardsville, offering a valuable connection for students, residents, and visitors.

To strengthen this network, Madison County Transit (MCT) engaged Oates Associates to study alignment options that would provide a more direct route from the Delyte Morris Trail to the nearby Goshen Trail. The goal was to close a longstanding gap and improve continuity for trail users.  Oates Associates identified five alignment options, and three were further studied to review the advantages and disadvantages of each including costs, right-of-way, constructability, and maintenance.

The trail connection, now known as the Yellowhammer Connector, follows a corridor rich with history. It traces the path of an electric streetcar line that once stretched from Peoria to St. Louis. The segment through Edwardsville was constructed in 1902 and operated until it was abandoned in 1928. Within the study area stood the original Yellowhammer Bridge, a part of the rail system that served the region during that time.

The project reimagined this historic route by reconstructing the Yellowhammer Bridge as a pedestrian bridge. This modern crossing not only serves as a functional trail connector but also honors the transportation history of the community. The bridge is a 200-foot-long bowstring truss concrete deck bridge that provides access over the tributary to Delaplain Creek.  The trail itself is an ADA accessible 10-foot-wide asphalt trail stretching nearly a half mile – offering scenic views and a meaningful link to the area’s past

Our team delivered surveying and engineering services for this project, beginning with field surveys and utility verification. We managed permitting and environmental coordination, followed by detailed utility relocation planning as a sanitary sewer was removed and realigned. We also assisted with right-of-way acquisition by preparing legal descriptions and right-of-way exhibits to transfer parcels from SIUE and the private property owner to MCT.

The Yellowhammer Connector not only enhances regional mobility but also preserves a meaningful piece of Edwardsville’s transportation history.