MARSHALL — The city of Marshall will be seeking grant funding to move a portion on-street bike trail on East Lyon Street.

The grant would help the city turn the sidewalk running past Independence Park into a 10-foot wide trail, city staff said.

City Engineer Jason Anderson went over the grant proposal at last week’s meeting of the Marshall City Council. Minnesota Department of Transportation District 8, which includes Marshall, is looking for applications for Transportation Alternatives (TA) grants in 2026. Transportation Alternatives is an 80/20 matching grant program that provides funds for pedestrian and bike projects.

“City staff worked with the Community Services team to identify if there were any locations where we could apply for these funds,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the proposal would help connect portions of Marshall’s existing trails, while giving both cyclists and pedestrians an off-street trial option. The proposed trail project would replace the current concrete sidewalk with a 10-foot wide concrete multi-use trail.

Originally, the city proposed to build the trail along the south side of East Lyon Street, running from South Bruce Street to Minnesota Highway 23. However, MnDOT said they didn’t want the trail running all the way out to the highway.

“They would like us to stop short, maybe at Jewett Street or somewhere else,” Anderson said. “The District 8 traffic office doesn’t really want to encourage as many (highway) crossings at that location.”

“We can see where they’re coming from,” Anderson said. Highway 23 is a wide roadway with fast traffic, and the highway is on a curve at the intersection with East Lyon Street, he said. “That being said, they’re open to the rest of the project as proposed.”

If Marshall is awarded a TA grant, the city’s estimated share of the project cost is $115,000, plus engineering costs of $92,000.

“I have a hard time accepting the fact that we’ve got to tear up good concrete out there and replace the sidewalk,” said council member Russ Labat.

At the same time, moving the bike trail off the street could be a safety improvement, said council member James Lozinski.

“I’ve driven down that street when school is letting out or going in, and it’s a busy area. I would love to see those kids on a 10-foot trail rather than on that street,” he said.

Council members voted 5-1 in favor of passing a resolution agreeing to act as a sponsor for the grant application.