Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved submitting an application for a $1 million grant to go toward constructing the first portion of a shared user trail on the former Union Pacific Railroad corridor from Albert Lea to Manchester.

The initial cost estimate for that portion of the trail is expected to cost $3.5 million, said Freeborn County Engineer Phil Wacholz. The county is also looking for additional grants for the project.

When complete, the trail would run 15 miles from Albert Lea to Manchester and then north to Hartland, where eventual plans call for extending it to New Richland, Waseca and even Waterville, where the Sakatah Singing Hills State Bike Trail is located.

The resolution states up to $12.5 million in Active Transportation Infrastructure funding is available for infrastructure projects through the Minnesota Department of Transportation, with a minimum of $50,000 and a cap of $1 million for each project.

The Albert Lea to Manchester stint would be 6.4 miles long and run from Fountain Street in Albert Lea to 255th Street in Manchester. The project is planned to be constructed in 2026.

Freeborn County and the city of Albert Lea have been working toward development of the trail for the last several years and in 2023 approved a joint trail action plan that discusses the development of the property. The plan breaks the trail up into possible development segments that could be completed, as well as possible costs.

Trail enthusiasts and city and county officials say the trail would benefit people walking, and biking and improve access to schools, parks and even the rural areas.

The Albert Lea City Council is slated to vote on supporting the application during its Monday meeting.