The cost to build a bike trail through Dellwood to help complete the Lake Links trail encircling White Bear Lake could cost as much as $4.7 million, a consultant told the City Council at its August meeting.

That's more than the $4.4 million in state grants awarded to Dellwood for the project, and the city would have to make up the difference somehow if it went ahead at this point, City Clerk Joel Holstad said.

"If we accept any of the grant money we have to build the entire trail and we're responsible for the shortage," Holstad said. The city of Dellwood, population 1,100, has an annual operating budget of some $550,000.

The news was the latest development in the yearslong effort to build a bike route around White Bear Lake. The 10-mile route remains about 2 miles short of its goal, including most of the section that passes through Dellwood. Another segment on the north side of the lake also remains unfinished.

The original plan for the trail would have seen it run west from the Dellwood-Mahtomedi border along an abandoned railroad bed on the north side of Hwy. 244 before crossing the highway at its intersection with Meadow Lane. The trail would then run on the lake side of the highway until the border with White Bear Lake Township, near Hwy. 96. A steep bank along Hwy. 244 would require grading, pushing costs up.

An alternative route would see the widening of Hwy. 244 with the trail on the highway's north side, but that would require relocating Xcel Energy power lines and replacing stone walls. It might be possible for the city to seek financial support from the county to close the gap, Holstad said, but those talks have yet to take place.

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that the segment in Dellwood isn't the only unfinished portion of the Lake Links route.