Photo by Scott McCloskey Crews from James White Construction continue to work on the Bedillion Lane Sewer Improvement Project, which is now proceeding along Elm Street in the Edgwood neighborhood of Wheeling.

WHEELING — Winter is known as the season when work on construction projects typically slows down – but not in Wheeling, where city leaders are thanking residents for their continued patience while millions of dollars worth of infrastructure improvements dig onward.

Orange barrels and construction signs are expected to be a common sight in the Friendly City for the next couple of years. Major state highway projects and new phases of a long-term city sewer system improvement project continue to unfold.

Some of the work not only results in traffic delays and detours, but also can be disruptive to residents’ daily routine in other ways.

Some of the work on the $2.1 million Bedillion Lane Sewer Improvement Project recently brought with it some unpleasant odors.

City crews had to come up with some creative solutions to remedy the situation to allow construction teams with contractor James White Construction to perform their work without too much disruption to residents in the affected neighborhoods.

“To say this sewer work is dirty and stinky is an understatement,” Ward 5 City Councilman Ty Thorngate said. “This work kind of emits odors of sewer gas and burnt plastic, but thankfully city staff came up with a great solution which included venting out manholes in Dimmeydale and Oakmont, and using high-powered fans to siphon odors out of our sewer lines.”

Thorngate noted that some snags also resulted in work being performed past daylight hours after getting off to somewhat of an unfortunate “rocky start” in the beginning.

“One of the first nights, the contractor ran into some issues, causing the work to happen throughout the night,” Thorngate said. “Normally our contractors do not work after 5 p.m., but in this case of emergency, the work had to be completed. While the work wasn’t easy for seven days — especially for the people impacted — I can’t thank them enough for their patience and understanding.”

The councilman, representing the city ward where the major sewer project continues, also thanked the city operations and fire departments for their efforts, along with the residents of Oakmont and Dimmeydale for their continued patience.

While the construction may cause a few challenges, the upgrades involved promise to bring long-term relief that outweighs any short-term grief. The long-awaited Bedillion Lane project involves sewer separations and other improvements that will address environmental issues and are hoped to resolve flooding problems that have plagued these neighborhoods during heavy rains.

Thorngate said it was important for city leaders to keep open lines of dialogue with constituents and give them ample warning about any issues they may experience in the wake of these ongoing projects.

“Thanks to everyone for their patience,” he said.

As the Bedillion Lane sewer upgrade project continues, traffic in the Bedillion Lane area remains open between National Road and Birch Avenue, including egress and ingress to National Road. However, the city announced that Elm Street would be closed to traffic between Birch Avenue and Poplar Avenue until further notice, including access to and from side streets.

Similar work is ongoing in other parts of the city, as well.

Last week, the city announced that Guyer Brothers was conducting sanitary sewer pipelining behind WesBanco Arena near 14th Street and the mouth of Wheeling Creek, noting that the work “may produce and odor, but it is not hazardous and is non-toxic.”

This week, the city announced that the West Virginia Division of Highways was scheduled to close the southbound lane of Market Street, W.Va. 2, from 14th Street to 18th Street through Friday for additional sewer line work downtown.

The big Interstate 70 bridge project will continue in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in the Fulton area east of the Wheeling Tunnel, creating the need for detours and alternate travel routines for local motorists.

Beginning Monday, the portion of Heritage Trail near the affected I-70 construction area will be closed to the public. The section of the trail between Rock Point Road and the Tunnel Green area will be closed to all pedestrians and bicyclists for approximately nine months.

Sewer work continues in the downtown area, and Main and Market streets, as well as portions of 16th Street and other connecting areas of the city’s main thoroughfares, are set to undergo a major, multimillion-dollar facelift as the long-awaiting Downtown Streetscape Project begins. The project, estimated to total around $35 million, is expected to continue for several months before its completion.