POST FALLS - This is a trail that has led to several splits even before it becomes reality.

The pedestrian trail project along Highway 41 from Seltice Way to Mullan Avenue - being funded with city urban renewal funds on state property - remains an unsettled, divisive joint venture between the Post Falls City Council and urban renewal agency despite the agencies signing the agreement two years ago.

During a meeting between the boards on Tuesday in which the pros and cons of the trail were discussed, it was decided to schedule a visit to the site with both agencies, the engineer and the Idaho Transportation Department. The date of the visit hasn't been determined.

About $75,000 has been spent with urban renewal funds on engineering, which is nearly completed. At one point, engineering was stopped due to concerns over the project before it was allowed to proceed.

The quarter-mile project has not gone to bid for construction, but the engineer's most recent estimate was $639,145 when the project was modified after it reached $982,000 at one point due to the removal of infrastructure that's required.

The cost estimate - for that distance - continues to draw concerns even with the lower amount.

A decision on whether to halt the project or allow it to continue has been elusive because the boards believe there are serious and legitimate arguments both for and against it.

"It is not prudent and wise to expend (city) taxpayer money to fund another ITD project," Mayor Clay Larkin said. "It is a safety issue, however there are no documented reports of any incidents."

The corridor has been referred to as a "cow trail" in which pedestrians are close to traffic and it's difficult to push strollers. The trail would go under the Interstate 90 overpass at the Highway 41 interchange.

Connecting and improving pedestrian trails in the city has also been a priority on recent citizen surveys.

Council member Linda Wilhelm said she has seen "near misses" in the corridor and some wonder if it has to come to someone getting hurt or killed before an improvement is made.

But council member Skip Hissong said there are a lot of unsafe pedestrian areas in the city, including on the hill to the Highlands neighborhood.

"We simply don't have the funds to cure all these situations," he said, adding it's unfortunate that the state hasn't been able to help fund the project other than act in an advisory role to the engineer.

Hissong said he'll consider asking police volunteers to man the corridor for a select day to track how much pedestrian traffic uses the corridor. The popular Centennial Trail is at the south end of the corridor.

Some believe pedestrian traffic would increase in the corridor if a trail is constructed, connecting the residential area of southeast Post Falls with the business district.

Alternative pedestrian routes and an improved dirt surface for the trail to cut back on the cost was also bantered, but didn't appear to gain much traction due to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements that would be needed regardless.

Jason Minzghor, ITD's project development engineer, said the city or URA would need to apply for a grant to get funding assistance on the project and have the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization deem it a priority first because the project isn't in the state's improvement plan.

"If urban renewal took on that project within their district, then they should have funding available," Minzghor said. "As far as applying for grants, any time you use federal funds, it takes longer because there's more checks and balances, so sometimes on small projects it's not worth going through that process."

Minzghor said if the trail is built it would need to be maintained by the city, per an agreement with the state that would be drafted, because state law prohibits ITD from maintaining any facilities other than highways.