The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) is accepting bids for a major beautification project in downtown Wheeling.
The Wheeling Streetscape project is one of six construction projects included in a special bid letting held by the WVDOH on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
“The streets and sidewalks of downtown Wheeling have needed this work for several years,” said District 6 Engineer Tony Clark, P.E. "This work will make great strides to update and beautify downtown Wheeling and present an attractive face to the city for residents and visitors."
Gov. Jim 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 June 2020, Gov. Jim Justice held a press conference with the WVDOH, State Sen. Ryan Weld and Wheeling Mayor Glenn F. Elliott Jr. to express the state’s commitment to the streetscape project.
“This project is going to change the look and feel of downtown Wheeling,” Gov. Justice said at the time. "The funding is in place and we are committed to beginning work on this project as soon as possible. I know that these improvements will help West Virginia’s economy continue to grow.”
The project, expected to cost about $30 million, will add ADA-compliant curb cuts, widened sidewalks and decorative brickwork along Main and Market streets between 10th Street and 16th Street downtown. The project will also add decorative traffic signals, plants and trees.
Clark said the WVDOH has been working on the project since 2016, after officials for the city of Wheeling asked if a repaving project for downtown could be modified into a streetscape project. Along the way, Wheeling officials and the WVDOH discussed turning both Main and Market streets – which are both one-way – into two-way streets.
In the end it was decided to keep Main and Market streets one-way.
The city of Wheeling is contributing $1.9 million to the project.
The special July 26, 2022, bid letting included the following projects:
Wheeling Streetscape. (Ohio County)
District 9 road striping.
District 10 road striping.
Interstate 64 paving, MacCorkle Avenue exit to Oakwood Road exit. (Kanawha County)
Talbott Hill high friction pavement. (Barbour County)
Cheat Lake to Coopers Rock paving. (Monongalia County.
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.
As the date and time approach the deadline of the letting, contractors are expected to place their bids, with complete documentation as necessary. Shortly after the letting, the respective bids are reviewed. All bids are evaluated thoroughly for competitiveness and deemed acceptable through guidelines as approved by policy, reviewed, and approved by the FHWA. Award of the contracts is made based on the recommendation by our Awards Committee based on the results that evaluation and approval by the Commissioner. Projects are typically awarded to the lowest bidder with all proper documentation in place.
