Gateway East Trails (GET) was notified late last year that it will receive a $900,000 congressionally directed spending award through the office of Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). The local nonprofit organization, which hosts the annual Tour de Stooges bike ride and is dedicated to improving the trails and recreation opportunities in southwestern Illinois, says the funds will be used to cover the cost of engineering and design for the Trolley Trail. 

According to GET, this trail’s path, located just north of Highway 50 in St. Clair County, Illinois, will take it over the former interurban trolley line that once connected Lebanon with St. Louis. The trail will eventually connect Lebanon, O’Fallon, MidAmerica Airport, Scott Air Force Base, and Belleville. 

GET must meet a 20-percent match to the money allocated from the spending award.