PEORIA, ILLINOIS
The trailhead for the Rock Island Greenway establishes a critical piece of infrastructure for cyclists, runners, and walkers in the Village of Peoria Heights that connects to the broader regional trail system. The trailhead will create a safer experience for bikers, runners, and pedestrians to navigate a busy vehicular route in highly trafficked commercial corridor. Overhead lighting, signage and wayfinding, as well as shading structures will be inserted at the trailhead for a more legible experience. This multi-modal crossing t will tie into other regional initiatives intended to create bike lanes connecting to the trail head and the reduction of traffic lanes to engender a safer experience for the community.
The proposal aims to create a vibrant public space for trail users and the local community, while improving trail occupancy, safety, and legibility. Utilizing the existing ROW, the proposal stitches the trail on either side of the intersection together with consistent paving, planting, and trail amenities. The proposed trailhead will be located at the Southwest corner of E Marietta and Prospect within the ROW, where new concrete will expand the trail width and connect to the adjacent sidewalks. The trailhead will be a consistent painted concrete surface. The current trail crossing at Prospect and at E Marietta is re-routed to streamline circulation, make the trail easier to navigate, and to turn the underutilized corner of the into a public amenity for cyclists and pedestrians.
The existing traffic pattern and asphalt of Prospect and E Marietta will remain; however, a painted graphic on the groundplane will signal a multi-modal intersection and the trail’s location. The simple diagonal striping of the graphic paving evokes the corridor’s historic rail lines, but also signals traffic to slow down. The graphic paving will extend throughout the trailhead, and also extend on either side of the crossings to create a consistent experience and connect each portion of the trail.
Overhead structures that mimic oversized bicycle wheels will provide shade, signage, maps, and trail lighting. The wheel motif plays homage to the rich cycling history in Peoria Heights, while also defining the location of the proposed trail head. The overhead structures also hold potential to produce their own electricity through wind energy to provide trail lighting, charging stations and emergency lighting.