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WHEELING -- The City of Wheeling will break ground today on its long-awaited multi-million dollar Downtown Streetscape project, and Gov. Jim Justice will be there to celebrate the occasion.
That won't be Justice's only event in the Friendly City today. He'll also stop by Centre Market after the groundbreaking for a conversation with members of the Northern Panhandle community.
The groundbreaking will take place at 11 a.m. at 1025 Market St. in Wheeling. The Downtown Streetscape project, estimated at a cost of $32 million, will transform downtown Wheeling on both Main and Market streets. Planned improvements include repaving streets, upgrading sidewalks and curb ramps to be ADA-accessible and installing new traffic signals.
Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott said it was tough to contain his excitement for today's event.
"It has been a long time in coming, but the sense of excitement for this project is hard to put into words," he said. "There's so much effort on the part of members of city council, city officials, Department of Highways officials, members of (West Virginia) Legislatures.
"It's been a long road to get here," he said, "but we're thrilled with having the governor come to town and help break ground on what is going to be, simply, the most transformational project for any downtown in the state of West Virginia."
The project is a partnership between the city and the West Virginia Department of Transportation.
"It will beautify that town beyond belief," Justice said about the project in August.
"I'm sure it will initiate additional growth. It is a project badly needed ... great project for the City of Wheeling. More and more and more good things are happening in that area. We absolutely want to take care of that town and make it just that much better."
St. Albans-based Triton Construction Inc. was awarded the low bid for the project. Elliott didn't know the exact start date for the project, but said work should begin sometime in October, with a deadline to finish by November 2024.
"I would expect to see action soon," he said.
At noon, Justice will move to the outdoor plaza near Coleman's Fish Market in Centre Market. There, he and Babydog, his pet English bulldog, will welcome community members to talk about a number of subjects. Among his expected topics will be his proposal to reduce West Virginia's personal income tax, and his opposition to Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment that would give the West Virginia Legislature the authority to reduce or eliminate six categories of tangible personal property taxes, including taxes on motor vehicles, machinery and equipment, and inventory.
Elliott said it's always great to welcome Justice to the Northern Panhandle and have him meet some of its residents. While people in the region might feel like an outpost to the officials in Charleston, Elliott offered a reminder of the resources the state has given to the area -- like $32 million for the Streetscape project, $220 million for the I-70 Bridges project and nearly $18 million to rehabilitate the Wheeling Suspension Bridge.
"Our part of the state is getting a lot of attention right now," Elliott said. "And I'm very glad the governor has his sights set up here."