By NEAL WAGNER  / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Crews soon will move forward with constructing sidewalks along Second Street Northeast after the city recently received a more than $360,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation.

During its June 27 meeting, the Alabaster City Council voted to accept the $367,200 ALDOT bid, and agreed to provide a $91,800 local match, bringing the project total to $459,000.

The council also agreed to pay the Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood engineering firm $45,500 to cover the topographic survey, geotechnical exploration and preparation engineering for the project.

Once completed, the project will add sidewalks and landscaping along Second Street Northeast from Fifth Avenue Northeast to Seventh Avenue Northeast.

Second Street Northeast runs south of the main Shelby Baptist campus off U.S. 31, and soon will tie in to a new restaurant and office development currently under construction next to the hospital.

Harbert Realty Services Inc. currently is working to construct a new office and restaurant development south of Shelby Baptist. Harbert Realty Services Vice President of Retail Development James Proctor, who is working to develop the Alabaster site, said the company soon will announce the tenant lineup for the new development.

Harbert development plans call for the retail and restaurant space to front U.S. 31, while the medical office space will be close to Second Street Northeast.

Second Street Northeast runs on the east side of the Harbert development, and city leaders previously said the sidewalk and landscaping project will promote pedestrian traffic from the hospital to the Harbert development while also encouraging future development south of the hospital.