When first introduced by then-Mayor Andy McKenzie, the cost of Streetscape 1.0 was about $5 million.
Streetscape 2.0 added the installation of new traffic signals and increased the price project to about $9 million, but then arrived Streetscape 3.0, and for more than $25 million downtown Wheeling would have signalization, curbs, sidewalks, and access ramps, “bump-out” walkways that are expected to slow traffic, and paved, smooth roads for the first time since the early 2000s.
The two-year project 3.0 version will involve Main and Market streets as well as parts of Eoff and Chapline
, and 10th, 12th, 14th, and 16th streets also will receive makeovers, too.
“The good news is that the cost of the project did not increase much for the City of Wheeling,” explained City Manager Bob Herron. “In the very beginning, the City was expected to cover about a third of the cost, but as the scope of the project grew and grew, the state of West Virginia assumed the cost of a vast majority of it. That’s because Gov. (Jim) Justice really believes in what it will do for the future of our downtown.
“There are five very good general contractors who have taken out specs for this project, so we’re hoping that means there will be five bids,” he said. “It’s a very big project and the big sheet is 43 pages long, and it’s very complicated. For example, this is not just a beautification project but also a storm sewer project at the same time, and as far as all of the infrastructure projects we needed to perform before this began, they are all done and the downtown is ready to go.”
When and When?
The contract does include two caveats: Construction must begin within 10 days of being awarded the contract, and it must be completed no later than November 29, 2024. Herron said the start date will depend on whether or not the state accepts one of the bids received and reviewed.
Streetscape 1.0 was introduced by McKenzie and then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in the summer of 2015. Since the discovery of storage vaults, the addition of new design ideas, and a non-debate over changing Main and Market streets to two-way traffic have lengthened the start time even though roadway conditions already were considered atrocious.
“I was the president of the Wheeling Chamber at that time (in 2015), and I can tell you that all of our members were happy to hear about Main and Market streets getting the attention they needed back then,” said Erikka Storch. “And when the conservation started about two-way traffic on Main and Market, none of the members downtown wanted to hear much about it. They just wanted it to move forward so they didn’t have to apologize for the streets anymore.”
That also is why Herron hopes construction begins before colder temperatures return to the region.
“I am hopeful this project will begin at some point this fall, but that’s not my decision. That will be a decision state officials will make, but I believe it will get underway this fall,” said the city manager. “It has taken a longer time than anyone expected for all of us to get to the point where we are today, so I know everyone is very anxious for this project to get started.”
“When the cost of this project kept climbing, it was the City that suggested that maybe we should reduce the scope, but it was the Governor and the state that insisted on doing everything that is needed to bring our downtown up-to-date,” Herron explained. “Hopefully, that support is still there after all of the bids are opened because the cost of everything has increased so much in the past couple of years. I believe the support will be there because we all have spent a lot of time developing and reviewing every part of this project so what was included for the contractors to consider during this process.”
