On June 5, 2020, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice joined West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) Secretary Byrd White, Deputy Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E., State Senator Ryan Weld and Wheeling Mayor Glenn F. Elliott, Jr. to express the state’s commitment to the Wheeling Streetscape Project.
“It has been almost two years at this point since we first began meeting with the Governor’s Office on this project and it was made clear that if federal funding wasn’t available a lot of work would be done on the state level,” explained Senator Weld. “This is really going to be a major jump start for downtown Wheeling.”
“It has been about 35 to 40 years since the downtown streetscape has been redesigned,” added Mayor Elliott. “This is a once in a generation opportunity to transform downtown Wheeling and for that, we are very excited.”
The approximately $25 million Wheeling Streetscape Project will help revitalize the city by doing what so many historic downtowns across the United States desperately need to do: renovate their transportation infrastructure so that it’s more efficient, more attractive, and more pedestrian-friendly.
“We have a variety of design elements to sort out but we are certain that we will be able to get the work done,” said Secretary White. “One major portion of the project includes making sidewalks ADA accessible which is an important focus across the WVDOT.”
The project is a partnership between the WVDOT and the City of Wheeling that will upgrade West Virginia Route 2 on both Main Street and Market Street in the City of Wheeling.
“We have plans to begin skip paving in the area as soon as possible,” said Deputy Secretary Wriston. “We have faced challenges along the way but we are all here today to let people know we are fully committed to completing this project. It perfectly aligns with Governor Justice’s plan to put West Virginia first by investing in the state’s infrastructure.”
Improvements include repaving the streets, upgrading sidewalks and curb ramps to be ADA accessible, as well as installing new traffic signals.
“This project is going to change the look and feel of downtown Wheeling,” said Gov. Justice. “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.”
“I sincerely thank all those involved in making this project a reality including Senator Capito, Senator Manchin, Representative McKinley, State Senator Ryan Weld, Delegate Erikka Storch, Mayor of Wheeling Glenn Elliott, and many more,” he added. “Without their hard work, this would not be possible.”
The project is currently in the design phase.
Photo of Wheeling via Pixabay.