North Idaho Centennial Trail closes for two-week resurfacing project

Walkers, cyclists and commuters who rely on the North Idaho Centennial Trail will lose the west-end stretch between the Idaho-Washington state line and Pleasant View Road in Post Falls while crews replace about two miles of deteriorated asphalt. The closure is set for May 4 through May 13 and covers one of the trail’s busiest links between North Idaho and eastern Spokane County.

Kootenai County said the work is necessary for asphalt replacement, not cosmetic improvements. The shutoff comes on a corridor that functions as both a recreation route and a daily transportation path, so the impact will reach far beyond a single neighborhood in Post Falls.

The project was funded by Kootenai County, the City of Post Falls, the City of Coeur d’Alene, the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation and a state recreational trail grant. In its notice, the county thanked the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners, the mayors of Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation and the Idaho State Parks Grant Division for making the work possible.

The Centennial Trail is a 23-mile paved route that runs from the Idaho-Washington state line to Higgins Point, about 6 miles east of Coeur d’Alene on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. At the state line, it connects with the Spokane River Centennial Trail, making it part of a larger regional network used by walkers, runners, families and cyclists. The City of Coeur d’Alene describes it as a Class I and II paved trail, and its operation and maintenance are a cooperative effort among Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Kootenai County.

The route’s long history helps explain why a short closure matters. Visit North Idaho says the project was put into motion in 1987, the first five miles were dedicated in October 1990 and the final link between Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls was completed in 1996. What began as a long-planned trail has become part of the county’s everyday transportation and recreation fabric, especially in Post Falls, where development and trail traffic now overlap.

The resurfacing also fits a pattern of aging infrastructure along the corridor. In January 2024, Post Falls was already looking to rebuild two miles of Centennial Trail because of divots, crumbling edges and cracks. The May project is another sign that the county’s most visible recreation corridor now needs the kind of coordinated upkeep that comes with heavy use.