WHEELING — Street paving in the city of Wheeling is expected to resume Monday, as remaining portions from the city’s largest-ever street paving contract from last summer are set to be resurfaced.

The city has invested millions of dollars in recent years to pave streets and alleys throughout Wheeling’s neighborhoods. During the 2021-22 fiscal year, Wheeling City Council approved an annual paving contract in the amount of $1.6 million. The 2022-23 fiscal year paving contract approved in July was an unprecedented $1.85 million pact and included 64 streets, as well as surfaces that had not been touched in many cases since the 1980s – alleys. A total of 74 alleys in the city were included in the current paving contract.

As part of the annual pact, the contractor was required to complete 60 percent of the work by the end of the fall paving season last year. According to Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron, the street paving contractor – Cast and Baker has done that. Now that spring has sprung, paving of the remaining streets and alleys are set to resume.

“We did receive confirmation that Cast & Baker — who is the city’s current paving contractor — will begin paving on May 1,” Herron said. “They’ll start in Warwood and then work their way to the island from there, and then they’ll need to take about a week break for some airport work, and then they’ll finish up.

“But they do plan on finishing by the June 15 deadline.”

City officials have noted that the downtown traffic arteries along Main and Market streets and their connecting thoroughfares are scheduled to be paved as part of the state of West Virginia’s Downtown Streetscape Project. However, that ongoing $32 million makeover includes several other aspects – from storm sewer work to sidewalk and curb replacement – that is expected to take place over the next two years before resurfacing is completed.

Remaining streets on the current fiscal year’s paving list include portions of Lock Avenue, Oakmont Road, Springhaven Road, Valley-View Avenue, West Washington Avenue, Fink Street, Pleasant Avenue, Rush Avenue, Liberty Lane, Lock Avenue, North Third Street, North Seventh Street, North Eighth Street, North Ninth Street, North 10^th Street, North 11^th Street, Richland Avenue, Conrad Lane, Alice Avenue, Anthoni Avenue, Armory Drive, Bank Street, Bedillion Lane, Georgia Street, Locust Avenue, Market Street, Mt. Wood Cemetery, Peach Tree Street, Point View Terrace, South Park Street, Water Street and sections of other city streets, as well as dozens of alleys throughout town.

Once the current fiscal year’s paving contract is completed in mid-June, the city is expected to already have a list being compiled of additional streets to consider for resurfacing for a new annual paving contract for the 2023-24 fiscal year that begins in July.