POST FALLS — The City Council unanimously approved an extension to Prairie Trail on Tuesday.

City engineer Rob Palus explained that there are currently gaps in the trail from Zorros to State Highway 41.

Post Falls has three major trails that go through the area.

The trail on State Highway 41 was recently built by ITD and goes to Rathdrum. Post Falls also has the Centennial Trail, which runs from the state line where it connects with the Washington Centennial Trail and runs all the way to Higgens Point in Coeur d’Alene.

Prairie Trail runs from its connection with the Centennial Trail in Coeur d’Alene and toward Highway 41. In total, the trail currently runs 5.6 miles.

One missing section is the intersection of Prairie Avenue and Meyer Road. 

A proposal and funding are in place to put in an undercrossing there. That’s scheduled for next year and would be part of the Prairie Avenue widening project.  

Originally, the project was planned to begin in 2028 before the timeline was moved up.

The second gap includes a quarter mile of Prairie Trail from Zorros to State Highway 41. The area also includes a pit that needs to be filled in near the old railroad bed.  

In March, Welch Comer and Buddinger & Associates were hired to design the project and analyze ways to fill in the remaining open excavation.

"It does not commit the city to expending any dollars at this time other than the costs for Welch Comer," Palus said.  

The trail extension project was approved. After the bid process, construction is planned to begin at earliest during this summer or by fall at the latest.