The city of Langley will apply for a $216,250 grant through the Federal Highway Administration to plan Second Street improvements for the next decade.

City officials hope to earmark $250,000 for community outreach, design, engineering and permitting of proposed improvements to one of the city’s main streets. The city would need to come up with the remaining $33,750 for the project.

Challis Stringer, city public works director, said that improvements would be designed to accommodate pedestrians, bicycles and commercial and private vehicles.

The section of the street between Camano and Anthes avenues is one of three busy routes through the downtown core. It includes the city’s grocery store, library, post office and several businesses and special-interest organizations. It also is a public transit route and houses much of the city’s utility infrastructure.

“It’s our number-one priority,” Stringer said. “We would like to work with all property owners as to what will work best.”

She said if the grant comes through, the city hopes to finish preliminary planning by 2012, then officials would search for additional grant money.

“We hope to be shovel-ready when we go out for other funding,” Stringer said, adding that officials hope to finish the project within 10 years.

“It takes a while to get projects federally funded,” she said.