(LAGRANGE) - LAGRANGE – LaGrange County’s Major Moves committee recommended a grant for the Lagrange County Trails project last week.

The trails group sought up to $1.5 million as a grant to serve as the match for a Next Level Trails grant from the state.

They’ve proposed a trail from Wolcottville to Topeka that would eventually link up with the Fishing Line Trail in Noble County and the Town of Millersburg in Elkhart County.

Dan Yoder, a member of the Trails group Board of Directors, says safety is a major benefit of the proposed trail. Yoder says 700 is a hilly road, and even though the speed limit is down to 45 MPH, motorists still come through there at a fast pace. Yoder says he rides a bike to work and is passed by several vehicles where the drivers are distracted by their cell phones or are just not paying attention to what's going on around them.

Sheryl Rhinesmith says the group has endorsements from many organizations and companies in the county.

The Committee voted to recommend the project to the County Council and Commissioners without specifying a dollar amount.

It takes at least 8 votes of support out of ten members of the joint Council and Commissioners to authorize Major Moves spending. The issue could come up if the boards hold a joint meeting in March.