A path to fun in Mandan just got paved.

Cole Higlin, director of Mandan Parks and Recreation Department, said a new 1-mile stretch of asphalt and concrete will open in north Mandan next month. The addition to Mandan's trail system will extend the existing "Old Red Trail" bike path to the Mandan Community Center parking lot.

The 10-foot-wide section starts where the existing path left off - near the hospital in Mandan. It runs parallel to Sunset Drive, but about a quarter-mile west. It will link the existing trail to the Community Center, the skateboard park, the Frisbee golf course, the high school and the All Seasons Arena.

"It's something for the kids to travel to stay off busy streets," Higlin said. "This area is the city's hub for the youth."

Construction began in July, and was recently completed. Before the Oct. 11 ribbon cutting, plans are to install three park benches, plant grass and trees and do some additional landscape and drainage work.

Higlin said he's already noticed walkers, bicyclists and, unfortunately, a motorized scooter on the new trail. Motorized vehicles, including scooters, are not permitted on Mandan's bike trails.

Funding for the trail came from the city and the Department of Transportation. Mandan invested about $80,000 to get a $230,000 federal grant, Higlin said.

The current project is only the beginning. Mandan and Morton County have already secured funding for a couple more miles of pavement next year.

Old Red Trail will be fitted with a paved path between the Sunset Drive and the Highway 1806 intersections. A Morton County project will connect with the proposed city stretch, at the intersection of Highway 1806 and Old Red Trail, and extend about a mile north of town.

The Department of Transportation will kick in up to $280,000 for the city path and $177,000 for the county path.

Morton County Parks Department Director Vern Davis said the county's proposed stretch of trail won't lead anywhere but out of town for now. The addition is the beginning of a bigger plan. Davis said they hope to secure funding over the next few years to pave the way out to a proposed water recreation area - Harmon Lake.

"This is the first step in a 5-mile stretch," Davis said.

At present, there are more than 11 miles of bike trails in Mandan.