Multimillion-Dollar Sewer Improvement Project Expected to Begin Along National Road
Trending
WHEELING - Motorists can expect traffic to be narrowed to one lane near the bottom of Chicken Neck Hill in Wheeling over the coming weeks as a multimillion-dollar sewer improvement project is scheduled to ramp up next week.
According to the West Virginia Division of Highways, traffic will be reduced to one lane near the intersection of National Road and Elm Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays beginning next Monday, through December 31, to allow for crews to work on the Bedillion Lane area sewer improvement project
It was at the end of August when Wheeling City Council passed legislation authorizing City Manager Robert Herron to expend funds in the amount of more than $2.1 million with James White Construction Company of Weirton for the project. This is a part of Phase III of the city's six-phase 20-year sewer system improvement plan.
A section of Popular Avenue between Elm Street and Vista Avenue has been closed at times over the past two weeks as crews with James White have already been performing work related to the project. In addition, heavy equipment has been positioned along Elm Street in recent days.
City Public Works Director Russell Jebbia said while the project is expected to affect the area along National Road near Bedillion Lane in the coming weeks, the entire neighborhood project is scheduled to last throughout the winter months, weather pending. He said if we experience a lot of inclement weather over the winter months it is possible the project could stretch to June or July.
"Hopefully, we won't have a real bad winter again and they (James White crews) will be able to get in there and hopefully knock this stuff out and be done sometime by this spring," Jebbia explained. "There's like five legs to this (Bedillion Lane) project," he commented.
In addition to National Road, Elm Street, and Poplar and Vista Avenues, other neighborhood roads impacted by the project will include: Edgelawn Avenue and Lane A (which is located at the top of Edgelawn).
"My understanding is they are supposed to have two crews working," Jebbia commented. "This will be a James White project. They will be handling everything." Although, Jebbia said the city's water pollution control department will be updating the sewer mapping in conjunction with the project. "This is a separation project for water pollution control," he added.
The citywide sewer improvements are part of Wheeling's long-term water pollution control plan. Several different projects are planned for different phases over the course of two decades and are expected to cost around $280 million in total.
City officials have noted at past council meetings that homes in the neighborhoods around Edgewood and Woodsdale have been prone to basement flooding and sewage backflow following hard rains and the Bedillion Lane project is a major step toward alleviating some of these problems.
City officials have previously said Environmental Protection Agency regulations led to the closure of combined sewer overflows that dumped raw sewage into creeks and streams in the past. Today, the overflows during hard rains often back up into basements of residents.
Two-way traffic will be maintained in one lane by flaggers throughout the section of the project along National Road. Motorists are advised to reduce speed and expect delays. Inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances could change the project schedule, according to DOH officials.
Staff Writer Eric Ayres contributed to this story.