This summer, $3 million in federal grant money for the project fell into limbo due to a change in how the state administers federal project dollars. After working with the state and the Village of McFarland, the county was able to meet the requirement to commence the project by Oct. 27 and keep the money. The county also secured an additional $1.3 million in Transportation Alternatives Program funds at the end of summer.

“It’s been a long road,” Parisi said. “Piecing together these projects takes a lot of planning.”

Some of the planning difficulties center on the need to coordinate across multiple jurisdictions — in this case the partners include Madison, McFarland and the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad.

With that need to collaborate in mind, Parisi’s budget also proposes the creation of a $750,000 matching grant program for bike-related projects, called PARC & Ride. It would replace the existing Partners for Recreation & Conservation program, which provides funds for outdoor recreation and conservation projects, to focus more intensely on bikes.