WHEELING — The three-year long construction project happening at the City-County Building now has a projected completion date of Jan. 16.

The relocation of the Ohio County Health Department on the first floor is the last one to be made as part of the project, according to Melissa Marco, project director for Ohio County. The office is scheduled to move in the coming week to its swing space in the former Wheeling Police Department headquarters.

“That’s the last move, and everything should be completed by Jan. 16. That’s four months ahead of schedule,” Marco said with a smile. “It’s all coming together. We’re about 85% complete.”

The project nevertheless has had its challenges in delays. Many of them were the result of supply chain issues, and getting needed items to the construction site.

The Ohio County Building Authority approved the issuance of $12 million in bonds in October 2022 to do all the work needed, and construction gradually has been taking place over the past couple of years.

There have been major upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as painting and other improvements throughout the building. Among the most visible are new windows, while the offices of the county clerk, auditor and prosecutor have been reconfigured on the second floor.

“With all the delays, it’s been about two and a half years,” Marco said. “We were a year waiting for equipment, and they are still experiencing delays because suppliers just aren’t making as much as they used to. We were about a year getting the equipment, and a year and a half with the construction.”

The last leg of construction has begun on the first floor, where the city of Wheeling water department, finance and tax offices and the hallway are in “demo phase,” Marco said. Wheeling City Council Chambers is also part of the construction, and members held their most recent meeting in the second floor courtroom.