A major milestone in the project to beautify the downtown Wheeling streets has been reached.
Paving is taking place as part of the highly anticipated Wheeling Streetscape, which will impact Main Street and Market Street between 10th Street and 16th Street.
With Gov. Jim Justice’s continued commitment to the project, the Wheeling Streetscape will add ADA-compliant curb ramps, widened sidewalks, decorative brickwork, landscaping, utility upgrades, and street furnishings along Main Street and Market Street, between 10th Street and 16th Street downtown. The project will also replace 19 existing traffic signals with decorative traffic signals. Of the 19 intersections, 14 are within the streetscape portion of the contract with the other five intersections located on adjacent city streets in close proximity to the project.
The contractor has completed the drainage work along Market Street from 16th to 10th Street. Crews have installed drainage structures from the outlet into Middle Wheeling Creek to the intersection of 16th and Main Street, through the segment of 16th Street between Main and Market and north on Market Street. This drainage work is incorporated in the project to aid in sanitary and stormwater separation efforts in the downtown area.
Recently, contractors milled and paved the right lane, and a parking lane, on Main Street and will complete the left lane the week of Monday, July 8, 2024. Crews also paved short approaches on each side street adjacent to Main Street mainline paving.
Remaining work to be performed includes sidewalk replacement along the remaining portion of Market Street, both sides of 16th Street, 10th Street, 12th Street, 14th Street, as well as a short segment of Chapline and Eoff Street; remaining streetscape activities (brick band, trees, shrubs, furnishings etc.) continue on Main Street, and will be performed on remaining streets included in the project. Work associated with replacement of existing traffic signals continues as crews install underground conduit, junction boxes, signal pole foundations and signal poles throughout the project, plus milling and paving of all streets included in the project, including 12th and 14th streets.
Crews are providing pedestrian detours along the adjacent sidewalks while maintaining access to all businesses.
West Virginia Division of Highways District 6 engineers continue to meet with Wheeling officials on the progress of the project.
The current projected completion date of the project is fall 2025.
Gov. Justice helped move the project forward after it became evident that significant state instead of federal funding would be necessary to bring the project to fruition. In August 2022, Gov. Justice and the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) awarded West Virginia based Triton Construction Inc. the contract for the project, with a low bid of $31.9 million. In September 2022, Gov. Justice, WVDOT Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E., and city of Wheeling officials held a groundbreaking on the project.