PELHAM – A comprehensive traffic study by Skipper Consulting Inc. will be conducted to develop access routes for a family-friendly attraction that’s expected to begin construction in 2019.

It was announced in April that the NFPA HEROES Experience, a public fire and life safety education attraction, will be built on the southwest corner of exit 242, across from the Colonial Pipeline tank farm on Shelby County 52. The exit 242 corridor is also expected to undergo a transformation.

The $19,000 traffic study will consider access options from all adjoining roadways including Interstate 65, Shelby County 52 and U.S. 31. Traffic counts will be conducted and recommendations will be made based on a report of the findings.

In 2017, the city purchased a portion of the property where the attraction will be located for $3 million. The owner of the property donated the other 126.50 acres of the land to the city for a total of 286 acres.

Officials with the National Center for Fire and Life Safety (NCFLS) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) said in April that the HEROES Experience, will take up 25 acres. The project is expected to be immersive, educational and entertaining. The project is expected to bring economic prospects and tourism to Pelham.

The city plans to develop the area to create a gathering place for the city, with the NFPA HEROES Experience as the flagship attraction. The city hopes to include retail and a housing component to the area.

The attraction will be seen from I-65 and will combine public education and state-of-the-art technology to drive home critical lessons in safety for both the young and old alike. The building is designed to look like a fire engine.

The HEROES Experience will be a more than 100,000 square-foot public, nonprofit attraction serving a wide range of audiences ranging from K-12 school groups and families, to visitors and tourists of all generations. Visitors will be immersed in authentic stories, exhibits and experiences that dramatize the importance of preventing fire and life safety measures.

Work will be done behind the scenes researching and testing new safety and prevention education approaches. What is learned will be disseminated to a worldwide audience.

NFPA is a global nonprofit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. In 2016, NFPA reports that America’s fire service responded to 35,320,000 fire, medical and other types of emergency calls.