Photo by Eric Ayres The tunnel on Heritage Trail at Tunnel Green has been closed to the public since mid-December because of structural issues that have led to falling bricks. City officials have indicated that repairs may be costly, but reopening the tunnel is a high priority.

WHEELING – While costs to repair the tunnel on Wheeling’s Heritage Trail at Tunnel Green are expected to be significant, city leaders have indicated that getting the tunnel fixed and re-opened as soon as possible will be a high priority.

The tunnel has been closed since December because of structural concerns. City officials said moisture from inside the historic tunnel has caused bricks to fall. Early estimates for repairs top $500,000, according to City Manager Robert Herron.

More estimates are being sought for repairs, and although conventional wisdom may indicate that winter is the slowest month for Heritage Trail in terms of usage, there’s already been a significant push from the public to get the tunnel fixed and the trail reopened as soon as possible.

“There are multiple people expressing what a critical link that is, so if there is a possibility of mitigating that in the meantime, that would probably make a lot of folks happy,” Wheeling City Councilman Ben Seidler said during the most recent council meeting.

A number of city leaders have noted that cyclists, runners and walkers have voiced interest in getting the tunnel reopened soon, especially with spring right around the corner.

Local bicycling enthusiasts this past week gathered at a packed meeting at Waterfront Hall to discuss ways to make the city more bike friendly. Addressing the closed tunnel on Heritage Trail was a high priority among the local cyclists.

“In my opinion, that’s really at the top of the list,” said Jim Adams, who spearheaded the gathering of bicycle riders. “We’ve got to get that back open, we’ve got to get that safe. That’s huge for Bike Wheeling and for Ohio Valley Trail Partners.”

It was noted during the meeting that this area of the trail is typically used by participants in the various events held during the Ogden Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine leading up to Memorial Day – an event that draws thousands to the city during the holiday weekend.

Adams said Bike Wheeling, the Ohio Valley Trail Partners and other groups are focused on supporting the city’s efforts to help make a fix to the tunnel come to fruition.

Rochelle Barry, director of the Wheeling Parks and Recreation Department, assured recreational bike riders that repairs to the tunnel are a high priority for the city.

“Right now, we have to keep it closed for safety purposes,” Barry said, noting that the city administration is presently seeking additional quotes from various contractors for repairs. “Once we have those back, we’ll review them and then figure out how to go from there.

“We will reopen it.”

The city manager said a company based in St. Albans that specializes in tunnels like the one on Heritage Trail at Tunnel Green was scheduled to come to Wheeling to evaluate the situation.

“We also have a local contractor that has agreed to look at it as well, but they have not reported back,” Herron said. “Currently, we have one estimate for repairing the tunnel, and we’re looking for a couple more, which we don’t have yet. But I would assume that by the next council meeting, we’ll have that.”

Seidler suggested during the most recent Wheeling City Council meeting that the city should explore the possibility of establishing a temporary fix to address safety issues in the tunnel so the trail could be reopened until a more permanent solution moves forward.

“Is there any kind of scaffolding they can put in there or substructure to temporarily open that tunnel up?” Seidler asked.

“Possibly,” said Herron. “The concern is that where the bricks came down, we can put scaffolding there for protection.”

However, there are three problem areas that have been identified inside the tunnel. One is where the bricks came down, and there are two others where moisture points have created concerns – although no bricks have come loose in those areas yet, Herron said.

“We would have to look at those as well,” Herron said of considerations of a temporary barrier for safety purposes. “We will look at that to try to get it open.”

The historic tunnel – which by many accounts of local lore is “haunted” – was initially constructed in 1857 as part of the Hempfield Railroad. It was rebuilt in 1904-05 after the B&O Railroad purchased the rail line. It remained in service until 1987, and in the 1990s, the tracks were removed. The former railroad line became a rails-to-trails project later in the 1990s, when Heritage Trail was opened – including the tunnel and the old stone viaduct over Wheeling Creek at Tunnel Green.