On the Morning of September 23rd, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice broke ground on the corner of Market and 10th Street in downtown Wheeling to mark the beginning of the Wheeling Streetscape Project.
The approximately $32 million will add ADA-compliant curb cuts, widened sidewalks, and decorative traffic signals, plants, and trees. The project will not only improve pedestrian safety, but also make it more aesthetically pleasing.
The City of Wheeling is contributing $1.9 million for construction work on the project and $100,000 toward design and engineering. Additionally, the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) has also been awarded a $16.25 million federal RAISE grant for the project.
“This is an incredible community,” Justice said. “But from the first day that I drove in here, I thought if we don't get this fixed, who in the world is going to want to come to the town of Wheeling?”
Justice was joined by Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston and Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, who called the project the most exciting thing to happen to the city in 20 years.
“When it's done it's going to be the most pedestrian friendly downtown of the state, I'm convinced of that,” Elliott said. “It's gonna be really a great flagship for the state of West Virginia, for people to get off I-70 and come drive through it. So we're thrilled.”
The project was first mentioned in 2016, in hopes of improving the roadways and sidewalks. After a bidding war earlier this year, the projected is finally underway.
The project is expected to be complete by 2024.
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Source: WVPB
