Despite some minor delays and the discovery of a few underground surprises, the massive Wheeling, W. Va., Downtown Streetscape Project has so far remained on schedule and within budget, as crews have continued to push ahead with a flurry of work inside a sprawling construction zone that has engulfed much of the heart of the city.
The Streetscape will ultimately bring new sidewalks, curbs, ADA-compliant curb cuts and intersections, trees and landscaping, streetlights and traffic signals, storm sewer management systems, street pavements and more to the downtown area, including to Main and Market streets and a number of their connecting roadways between 10th Street and 16th Street.
Main Street has been reduced to a single lane throughout the downtown area, with orange construction barrels lining the city's main traffic artery from Interstate 70's Fort Henry Bridge exit all the way to Wheeling Creek, the Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register reported July 15.
"They've been continuing the same work they've been doing with the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street and the storm drain that's going up 16th Street," Tony Clark, District 6 engineer for the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH), told the newspaper July 14. "Once they're done with the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street, they'll switch to the sidewalk on the east side of [the street] at the same time the sewer separation pushes up Market Street."
According to the contract's specifications, the completion date for the downtown Wheeling project is Nov. 29, 2024, and so far, that date has not been changed. Clark noted that the cost of the project has not been greatly affected by any delays or supply chain issues as no significant change orders have been requested.
Some of the delays that have been experienced have stemmed from crews encountering unforeseen issues while digging into the historic city's streets. For example, a buried rail car was discovered underground near 16th and Main streets when the sewer separation work began, and a labyrinth of wires, pipes and other obstacles under Wheeling's streets often await crews when digging to replace sewer lines.
"There's a myriad of utilities running under the city," Clark noted. "It's not like excavating a trench in an open field. They have to dig around a lot of utilities."
Major Sewer Separation Part of Upgrades
The long-awaited Downtown Streetscape Project will not only give a complete facelift to the central business district's thoroughfares, but it also will bring significant infrastructure upgrades to the heart of Wheeling, as well, the local news source reported.
Updates to underground utilities had moved forward even before the state broke ground on the $31.9 million project.
Wheeling city officials already invested in a major sewer separation down Main Street as well as the replacement of a water main on Market Street that dated back to the 1800s. As part of WVDOH's plans for the current streetscape improvements, another major sewer separation — removing stormwater from the sanitary sewer system — is a key part of the endeavor.
That work has left 16th Street closed in recent weeks, and the work zone is now moving up Market Street to 10th Street, according to Clark.
He also noted that different teams of construction crews are working on different aspects of the project at the same time, with some focused on the new sidewalks and curbs and others targeting the sewer work.
Clark told the Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register that there have been some discussions about coordinating work on Market Street's sidewalks to take place while the sewer separation makes its way up the street, but a final decision on that timeline has not been made.
Downtown Motorists Have Shown Patience
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice led the groundbreaking ceremony on the state project last December, joined by Wheeling and state officials who have worked together over the past several years to bring the highly anticipated venture to fruition.
Triton Construction Inc. of St. Albans, W. Va., is the general contractor on the Wheeling Downtown Streetscape Project. Its crews and various subcontractors have been on site since the beginning of the year, along with state inspectors, consultants, traffic control crews, utility company representatives and others in a busy work zone that often delays downtown traffic.
Patient motorists, though, have been able to access any downtown destination despite the unavoidable construction, according to the Wheeling newspaper, and most central Wheeling businesses have remained open despite the inconvenience.
"As someone who lives downtown and walks Main and Market streets daily, I'm very cognizant of the impact that the Streetscape project is having on many of our downtown businesses," Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott told the Intelligencer and Register.
"Unfortunately, there is no way to undertake a project of this magnitude without having some detrimental side effects; that said, I am very pleased to see so many members of our community willing to take the extra few minutes to drive or walk around downtown to continue patronizing these businesses," he continued. "It is difficult to put a price on that patience, because it is absolutely necessary to help these businesses survive through the end of this project."
Despite the seemingly endless array of detour signs, traffic barrels and closed sidewalks and streets, commuters in the downtown area can catch small glimpses of finished sidewalks and curbs along Main Street. They are the tip of the iceberg of what's to come once the massive project is completed.
Until then, crews will be working to complete the project's extensive master plan — one that is literally 567 pages long, according to the WVDOH's Clark.
"It takes a full ream or so when you print it out," he said.
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