Photo by Joselyn King Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder, left, speaks to those present as U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., prepares to present a $2 million symbolic check to the city for the reconstruction of Northern Parkway.

WHEELING – A heavily traveled and uneven roadway connecting North Park in Wheeling with River Road is about to be reconstructed and made safer — to the joy of those who live near that road and use it every day.

U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., came to Wheeling on Monday to tour the stretch of Northern Parkway starting just above Henderson Street and extending to River Road. At the intersection of Northern Parkway and Henderson, Moore presented a symbolic check for $2 million to city of Wheeling, signifying federal funds were coming to pay for the reconstruction of the roadway.

Vehicles traveling the road can be seen gingerly navigating the span. In parts, the road is buckling, and the left and right lanes are clearly at different heights.

Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron noted the problems in the road were quite evident, and that driving it was like a roller coaster “that you didn’t have to go to Cedar Point for.”

The road was built on a landfill, he explained.

“There has been settling, and you can see it from here,” Herron continued.

He reported Northern Parkway will be “taken out, recompacted and reconstructed” as part of the project.

Herron said the city next will get a notification “from the appropriate federal agency” officially alerting them of the award. City officials then will have to fill out an application for the project.

Herron expects that process will take three to six months. During that time the city will hire an engineering firm to do the work, and the design will take another six months.

“Hopefully it will be out to bid next summer,” he added.

Herron said city officials have had pre-engineering work completed, and they do believe the $2 million will cover costs for the project.

“Essentially, we will be establishing a new base and building a new one,” he said.

Detours and road closures associated with the project will be figured out later, according to Herron.

Moore said the $2 million for the work on Northern Parkway is part of the 2026 appropriations bill passed by Congress. Moore is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

“That is $2 million to cover the entirety of this project,” he explained. “We’re going to redo this road. I drove up it, and it is very much like a roller coaster like the mayor said.

“This is a major access road,” he added. “It is a main point of safety and concern for folks who go up and down this road. If it is snowing or raining, certainly that causes some hazards.”

Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder, who lives in Woodsdale, said he often takes the route when traveling from home to Warwood.

“For me, I slow down,” he said. “I go about 10 miles an hour when I go through here. It means a lot for residents. It’s something that they’ve asked about for a long time.”

Residents of nearby Raven Court expressed delight that the project was going to happen.

“As a community member, I’m especially thankful that they are going to fix that road, because I travel that road daily,” said Shawna Safreed. “It’s a hazard in the wintertime – it’s a hazard anytime because of the bumpiness of the road.

“When we think of the safety and security of Wheeling community members, this is an integral part of traveling in Wheeling,” she added. “It is great they are going to take the initiative to fix that road.”

Betty Edmundsen added Northern Parkway “really is a rollercoaster.”

“I’ve noticed they have improved the street lighting,” she said. “I usually go to Warwood that way, and (the lighting) has been better over the last eight months.

“But I’m afraid when it rains someone is going to hydroplane off one of those bumps.”

Morgan Bayes agreed the road needs fixed.

“I have lived here for 17 years,” she said. “When the kids were young, it was fun. But it’s getting worse. Cars are starting to go left of center.

“I am glad they are fixing it. But can they do the sidewalks?”

Herron was asked whether the Northern Parkway project was the beginning of doing other roads and sidewalks in North Park and along Wheeling Hill.

He explained sometimes the city must prioritize what is most important in terms of safety and need, and right now a major slip along Glenwood Road is of major concern. That is also a $2 million project.

“The sidewalk on Wheeling Hill is something we submitted to the state of West Virginia,” Herron said. “We are waiting for a reaction to be able to put a sidewalk on the uphill side. But that would be a project that is eligible. We just haven’t submitted that one because we have other projects.”

The Northern Parkway project is an especially important one, according to Herron.

“There are some beautiful neighborhoods here, and this is a heavily traveled road. It’s been like this for about 40 years. To be able to get a congressional allocation to redo anything (is an achievement). It will be a much more pleasant and safer drive up the hill.”