COEUR d'ALENE - The North Idaho Centennial Trail is getting a facelift.

Thanks to a hefty grant from the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department, almost all of the popular walking and bicycle trail will be re-sealed this summer.

Cracks along the trail will be filled in, and spots where tree roots lift the trail enough to make riding uneven will be smoothed out as well.

"This is a huge deal for us," said Charlie Miller, North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation manager, on landing the grant that will make the work happen this summer. "We've never gotten something this substantial up in this part of the state."

Teamwork between several recreation-loving agencies helped land the $117,500 state and federal grant, more than half of the project's total. The Joint Powers - comprised of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Kootenai County - and the NICTF are aiming to pitch in around $52,000 between them as matching money for the one-time funds.

The Centennial Trail last was sealed around 2005. Parts of the trail will be re-striped where it crosses roadways and intersections.

Timber Turner, riding his bicycle on the trail Monday, said the maintenance work is needed, considering the amount of foot and wheel traffic that leads to wear and tear.

"It gets a lot of use in the summer," he said. "It really is an attribute to the community."

When it's completed, the updated trail should boast a "darker, richer" black hue, Miller said.

And rides on it, "will be smooth as butter," he added.

Kootenai County Parks and Waterways successfully secured that grant. The Coeur d'Alene Parks Department will administer it and the work contract, according to Doug Eastwood, Coeur d'Alene parks director. The KCPW is one of several agencies that meet regularly to help maintain the outdoor recreation lane.

"It's in very good hands," Eastwood said of the trail, and the teamwork behind it.

Trail work could be completed within 30 days, beginning at the end of the month. Parts will be closed, and re-routed, incrementally. On weekends, the entire trail will be opened. Work will cover 17 miles of the 23-mile trail, leaving out the Class 2 portions that are bike lanes on streets with vehicle traffic.

The Prairie Trail, which connects with the Centennial Trail, will also be resealed as part of project. The NICTF would pay $24,000 for that.

"Just having a trail at all is awesome," said Penny Swanlund, strolling the public space on her lunch break Monday. "All this waterfront area."

And getting it resurfaced with mostly grant money, she said, is "even better."

The $170,000 contract, to be awarded to POE Asphalt, is going before the Coeur d'Alene City Council at 6 tonight in the library.