(KAIR)--Courtesy of a state grant, covering 80-percent of the more than $900,000 price tag, Atchison's Santa Fe West Sidewalk Improvements Project is expected to begin next month.

That's according to a release from the City of Atchison, which explains that the grant funds were awarded through the Kansas Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School program, with the key goal being "to promote and facilitate safe walking and biking to and from school. "

The release explains that it was in 2017 that the City partnered with Atchison Middle School and the organization now known as Live Well Atchison County to develop a plan and a series of improved sidewalk routes to the school, in addition to successfully applying for the first Safe Routes sidewalk improvement project along South 5th Street.

The Santa Fe West project, the release notes, is stage 2 of the Safe Routes plan, and Governor Laura Kelly recently announced that the City of Atchison has received 100% funding to build stage 3 of the plan, which will be sidewalk and related improvements from North 5th Street from Santa Fe Street to Unity Street. That 3rd stage is likely to begin in 2026.

As for the current project, it's centered on Santa Fe Street, from 9th to 15th Streets, with 1 to 3 blocks of cross streets included in the $979,197 scope of work to be constructed by Julius Kaaz Construction.

The release reminds Atchison residents that "not all sidewalks...will be replaced as the project focuses on damaged, deteriorated, missing, and/or non-compliant segments of sidewalk, including any brick segments.

Addresses adjacent to the forthcoming work are receiving notification letters, which inform them to contact the City immediately with any questions or concerns.