Benton Bicycle Master Plan

Bicycle Master Plan Overview

Benton is participating in developing a bicycle master plan that the Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission is facilitating on behalf of the City of Mt. Vernon and the City of Benton. The purpose of the bicycle master plan will be to guide future bicycle improvements in Benton with short, intermediate, and long-term implementation strategies. The bicycle master plan will include an inventory of existing bicycle facilities, an analysis of existing roadways capable of accommodating bicycle facilities, and recommendations for specific infrastructure projects.

While the plan will be for the jurisdictional boundaries of Benton, recommended bike travel corridors will consider connectivity to existing and proposed regional bike trail networks such as the Rend Lake bike trails.

The planning process started in Summer 2023 and will be completed by late Spring 2024. Community input will be an essential part of the bicycle master plan. An Advisory Committee that includes residents, organizations, and businesses will meet with the planning team two to three times during the process to provide advice and feedback. In addition, an online community wide survey and two public open houses will allow the public to help shape the plan.

Master Plan now Available (May 2024)

The final Bicycle Master Plan is available to download and view. The Master Plan report includes:

• Community Engagement and Survey Results

• Bicycle Planning Toolkit

• Overall Bicycle Network Recommendations and Priority Projects

• Existing Conditions and Results of Analysis

Click here to download the Master Plan document.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Master Plan process!

Recent Schedule

Summer 2023: Plan Kickoff

August 31, 2023: Stakeholder Meetings

October 3rd: Open House #1

November 15, 2023: Advisory Committee Meeting #2

November: Existing Conditions Report

Feb 27th, Open House #2

May 2024 Final Bicycle Master Plan

Check out the coverage by WSIL of Bike MAster Plan.

Oct 4 WSIL Teaser