With the “Roads to Prosperity” project along Interstate 70 in Ohio County only at its halfway point, much needed repairs along U.S. 40 on Wheeling Hill will not be considered for at least another year.
Tony Clark, District 6 engineer for the W.Va. Division of Highways, explained that because that stretch of the highway serves as the primary detour route for interstate traffic through Wheeling, the crumbling hillside and the closed sidewalk will be addressed only after the completion of the I-70 eastbound lanes. According to the schedule released by the DOH, crews with Swank Construction are expected to be finished by the end of 2021.
“We do have long-term plans to address the many issues that there are with the Wheeling Hill portion of U.S. 40, but unfortunately we were weren’t able to get anything done there before the I-70 project began,” Clark acknowledged. “Because the I-70 closure detours use that route, we cannot begin with any of it just yet.
“We did do some paving in that area before the I-70 project began, but both hillsides do need attention, and that is why there is that lane closure near the top of Wheeling Hill right now,” he continued. “We cleaned it up the best we could for the time when it was used for the detour while the westbound lanes of the interstate were closed for the bridge replacement.”
Bridge Demolition, Part II
Beginning on Feb. 1, 2021, Swank crews will begin removing the eastbound lanes of I-70 east of Wheeling Tunnel to make way for the complete replacement of the Fulton bridge, and the re-decking of the other spans in the area.
When the closure begins, the eastbound motorists will exit into downtown Wheeling, take a left onto 10th Street, and take another left on Market Street to travel up and down Wheeling Hill into the Fulton area. From there, the traffic will continue along National Road until the detour directs them to re-enter I-70 at Mount de Chantal Road.
“That’s why for the next year, maybe even a year-and-a-half, we’re not going to be able to get to Wheeling Hill and do anything because of the traffic from I-70 that continues to use it right now and will definitely need it when the eastbound lanes are shut down,” Clark explained. “There are plans in place to address it, but those plans will have to wait for now. No one likes hearing that, but it is what many people would be saying if both projects would be taking place at the same time.
“As far as the hillside that’s been coming down for a couple years now, a barrier system would have to be designed because those situations are very individual in nature,” he said. “But for now, we’ll be keeping an eye on those problem areas so they can be addressed if something happens while the I-70 project continues.”
Closed to Pedestrians
In September 2019, the city’s operations department indefinitely closed the sidewalk that runs alongside U.S. 40 after placing several steel plates to covers collapsed areas.
The sidewalk actually is suspended over the hillside that falls toward McCulloch Street and because of that fact, Clark reported that the state DOH will be involved with the repairs to it. The rock barriers that line portions of the west side of Wheeling Hill also will be addressed.
“That’s an interesting situation for us because normally the sidewalk would not be our responsibility,” the district engineer said. “But since the sidewalk is tied into the wall that is partially supporting the road, I believe we’re going to get involved with something there, but I don’t know what.
“We’re also looking at the barriers that were placed along the hillside several years ago, but there’s nothing cookie-cutter that we could put up in those areas. There are a couple of different options that we have been looking at,” Clark added. “It’s something we know will need addressed in the future, and that is why we have started to examine everything that will need repaired once the interstate project is completed. That way we have a solid plan when that time arrives.”
