The roadways in downtown Wheeling will not be the only streets in the Friendly City to get a facelift by the state Division of Highways.
At some point in 2024, according to Wheeling City Manager Bob Herron, all traffic signalization along National Road between the top of Wheeling to the intersection of National Road and East Bethlehem Boulevard in Elm Grove will be replaced. There are 16 signal locations along the five-mile stretch of federal highway, including significant signalization at Mount de Chantal Road, Bethany Pike, Washington Avenue, and Park View Road.
“The DOH also is funding a project that will replace all of the traffic signalization along National between the top of Wheeling Hill to Elm Grove,” Herron announced. “It’s in the design phases right now and it’s probably a year away from beginning, but the project has been funded so we know it’s going to take place.
“Installing all new traffic signals along that stretch in the city of Wheeling is not a cheap project either. It’s estimated at $8 million right now,” he said. “So, along with the new signalization that’s included in the streetscape (in downtown Wheeling), we’ll have new lights through the middle of the city. It will be a great improvement.”
Herron has also had conversations with DOH officials concerning a new, $1.5 million sidewalk along the Wheeling Hill stretch of National Road.
“We have asked the state DOH to take a look at eliminating the passing lane on the right side of Wheeling Hill if you are heading up the hill so that a sidewalk can be constructed on the north side of Wheeling Hill,” the city manager said. “We want to move the sidewalk on Wheeling Hill to that side because it’s far more expensive to replace the sidewalk on the south side where it has been for many years.
“That sidewalk has been closed for more than a year now because of it’s condition, and we want to replace it, but on the other side on the other side,” he said. “The DOH is working on a project that would stabilize the hillside, so we would like to be able to the sidewalk project at the same time. That would help both of us with the cost of both projects if they were performed at the same time.”
Safely Spanning the Ohio River?
Now that the three-year, $215 million Interstate 70 project is 99 percent complete, Herron’s concentration has turned to another span over the Ohio River.
The city manager reported he’s been informed by DOH officials a rehabilitation project on the Vietnam Veterans Bridge along Interstate 470 is scheduled for next year. The Vietnam Veterans span opened in 1984, and it possesses a similar superstructure as the Fort Henry on I-70.
“What we have been told is that there is going to be a major construction project on the Interstate 470 Bridge, but the details have yet to be provided by state officials,” Herron said. “I do know that the Heritage Trail in that area will have to be closed for a period of time, but that’s the extent of what we know for sure right now.
“From what I understand, it is slated to begin in March 2024, so it’s a little ways off,” he said. “It’s going to be a long project because that bridge been there since the early 1980s so I’m sure there’s a lot of renovations that will be performed.”
