Junior Avenue Bridge to Close Next Month During TCI Building Demo

Photo by Eric Ayres

WHEELING -- Long-awaited demolition of the former TCI building in Elm Grove is expected to cause more traffic disruption next month than city officials had initially hoped, as the Junior Avenue Bridge is expected to be temporarily closed in both directions.

Members of Wheeling City Council recently approved a $130,000 contract with Reclaim Company LLC of Fairmont, W.Va., for asbestos abatement and demolition of the old TCI of West Virginia building located at 2184 National Road in the Elm Grove neighborhood of Wheeling.

According to Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron, environmental remediation in the building began early last week.

"However - and we’ve talked about it - this is going to be a very difficult demolition because it’s in very tight quarters at National Road and Junior Avenue there," Herron said. "So, unfortunately, in working with the contractor, there is going to be a need to close the Junior Avenue Bridge from Sept. 8 to Sept. 25."

The building that has sat vacant for decades is situated in the heart of the busy business district of Elm Grove at the corner of National Road and Junior Avenue, directly adjacent to Wheeling Creek and the Junior Avenue Bridge that spans over it.

Herron indicated that the Ohio Valley Regional Transit Authority, the Wheeling Fire Department and the Ohio County School District all have been advised of the looming closure. Residents and commuters in this area of town have been no strangers to detours and temporary road closures because of bridge closures. The historic stone arch Monument Place Bridge on National Road in Elm Grove -- the oldest bridge in West Virginia that is still in use -- was closed for several months in recent years for major renovations.

"We’ve had conversations with OVRTA and the fire department, as well as the school district, and all can work around this closure," Herron told members of Wheeling City Council last week. "But in order to get the steel beams off of the top of the building - which you can see if you drive by - is going to require a crane. Then in order to get into the building with track hoes - at least for the initial demolition - they’re going to need the space to do it. They’re not going to have enough space off of National Road because of AEP’s lines, as well as the fact that National Road is a very busy street."

The demolition work itself is not expected to take more than a few weeks, but the project is proceeding just as the beginning of the new school year is underway, some residents have noted.

Nonetheless, many Elm Grove residents have expressed relief that the deteriorating building that has remained vacant for nearly 30 years is finally coming down. The project is made possible through leftover funds from the West Virginia Dilapidated Properties (DLAP) Program.

Herron noted that officials had hoped to be able to maintain traffic on Junior Avenue during demolition, but in the wake of discussions with the contractor, it has been determined that this is simply not going to be possible.

"Unfortunately, we tried everything we could to keep at least one lane open, but it’s just not going to work," he said. "So there is going to be a closure of the Junior Avenue Bridge from Sept. 8 to Sept. 25."