By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – As the Route 66 bike path in McLean County is being expanded outside Bloomington-Normal there’s a new effort to add about seven more miles of the trial.

The McLean County Board is expected to apply for federal funds to add a 4-mile stretch of the trail between Lexington and Towanda and a 3.25-mile area from south of Shirley to Funks Grove with the eventual goal of stretching the path the entire length of McLean County.

County Board Vice Chairman Soeldner told WJBC’s Terry James funding the project needs to be done gradually.

“It also give the individual, small communities the opportunity to raise the funds in their budgets, small bites at a time,” Soeldner said.

If the grants to the Illinois Department of Transportation are approved, the county and local governments would have to cover the remaining 20 percent, which would be about $116,000.

Soeldner said it’s not an easy sell but a worthy investment.

“I know it’s going to be a little bit of a bone of contention at our meetings and it’s a tough question sometimes, but I think there’s enough evidence through economic development and other sources that show that tourism is one of the major things that helps in the county,” Soeldner said.

Supporters of the trail are pushing to get it extended across the entire stretch of the historic highway through McLean County.

Work is expected to wrap up soon on a 4-mile stretch of the trail between Normal and Towanda and work is scheduled to begin soon on a 2.5-mile portion north of Towanda.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].