By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham soon could be taking the first steps toward building sidewalks along Bearden Road near Pelham High School, as the Pelham City Council will vote on a grant to fund the project during its Feb. 20 meeting.

The council held the first reading of the grant resolution during its Feb. 6 meeting. If the resolution is passed, the city will pay a total of $211,000 over the next three years to match a more than $1 million Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization grant to construct sidewalks along Bearden Road from Industrial Park Drive to Pelham High School.

The project will also include sidewalks along Industrial Park Drive between Bearden Road and U.S. 31, Pelham Mayor Don Murphy said.

If the resolution is passed, the city will pay grant matches of $40,000 this year, $20,000 in 2013 and about $151,000 in 2015. Murphy said crews would conduct engineering studies of the project in 2012, would prepare the work site in 2013 and 2014 and would construct most of the sidewalks in 2015.

Murphy said if the city passes the grant resolution, it will look to partner with Shelby County to share the cost of the match.

“This is something I’ve been working on since 2009. It will keep the kids from walking on the road,” Murphy said, noting 14-year-old Tyler Lee was struck by a car and seriously injured when he was walking along Bearden Road in August 2011. “This is something we’ve needed for a long time.”