Repairs to Tunnel on Heritage Trail to be Costly
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WHEELING - The cost of repairs to the tunnel on Heritage Trail at Tunnel Green in East Wheeling is expected to exceed a half-million dollars, according to city officials.
The tunnel - historically known as the Hempfield Railroad Tunnel - has remained closed to the public this winter because of falling bricks inside the structure.
In mid-December, the city announced that "due to a structural defect," the tunnel on Heritage Trail at Tunnel Green in East Wheeling would be closed until further notice, and that "trail users should plan accordingly."
Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron reported to members of Wheeling City Council that early cost estimates for repairs to the tunnel turned out to be considerably high.
"We’ve had one tunnel contractor look at the tunnel and come back with a cost estimate, which is significant," Herron said. "We are looking at local contractors to look at the specifications and to provide additional cost estimates on it."
During the most recent meeting of Wheeling City Council, members asked the city manager if the repair was going to be completed with a "sense of urgency," as a number of constituents had been asking about the use of Heritage Trail in this section of town.
"Yes, but it’s going to be a very expensive fix," Herron noted. "The estimates for the repairs that we received so far are over $500,000. So this is going to be a larger project that we anticipated."
The tunnel on Heritage Trail at Tunnel Green in East Wheeling has been closed to the public since mid-December because of structural issues that have led to falling bricks. City officials indicated that repairs to the tunnel could likely cost more than $500,000. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Herron explained that those initial estimates were received earlier in January, and he expected to have a recommendation on how to proceed with a course of action to address the structural issue in the tunnel within the next week or two, possibly by the upcoming city council meeting next week.
"I received a few calls from individuals who use Tunnel Green," Councilman Jerry Sklavounakis said. "They’re very concerned about when it’s going to be open again."
Initially constructed in 1857 by the Hempfield Railroad, the tunnel was rebuilt in 1904-05 after B&O Railroad purchased the rail line. It remained in service to rail operations until 1987. The train tracks were removed in the 1990s before the former railroad route - including the tunnel and stone viaduct over Wheeling Creek at what is now Tunnel Green - became part of Wheeling’s Heritage Trail.
Herron indicated that water from the hillside above the tunnel has taken its toll on the aging structure over the past century.
"It’s arched with bricks, and it does not have any type of liner in it," he said. "Moisture over time was just coming down from the hillside, and bricks became loose. There are three moisture points in the tunnel that need to be addressed, and that’s what we’re looking at right now - one of which is where the bricks came down. As for the other two moisture points, they have not come down yet, but they are in danger of falling."
The tunnel on Heritage Trail at Tunnel Green in East Wheeling has been closed to the public since mid-December because of structural issues that have led to falling bricks. City officials indicated that repairs to the tunnel could likely cost more than $500,000. (Photo by Eric Ayres)