What the West Virginia Department of Transportation has here, at least in the eyes of many in the city of Wheeling, is a failure to communicate.
DOT projects can be found throughout the city, from the Downtown Streetscape Project to the repairs at the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. What can't be found, some claim, is effective communication between the state and city.
That problem was brought up again this past Tuesday. City Councilman Ben Seidler expressed frustration that he learned DOT Secretary Jimmy Wriston believed the time for vehicular traffic on the Suspension Bridge had likely passed from news reports, rather than correspondence from Wriston or the state.
Seidler's ward includes Wheeling Island. The Suspension Bridge is an important artery connecting the Island to the rest of Wheeling. Having the span open would help cut down on the traffic issues in that area.
"On the topic of communication between the state and the city, we just continue to cry out that we would love some more communication from the state on these types of decisions and have some input on these decisions," Seidler said. "It's very disappointing for me as a council member … to find out about this in the news as opposed to some communication directed to us. That's certainly frustrating. I would hope the DOH would communicate better with us in the future."
Seidler is correct. The least state officials can do is give city leaders a heads-up on what they're thinking.
These concerns are nothing new, however. Market Street businesses were frustrated in December and January when sudden road closures forced customers to wind through city side streets to reach their shops. The state failed to communicate the changes properly.
Effective communication is not difficult. It simply takes effort. Have DOT officials learned something that could affect the future of a local road or bridge project? Then they can pick up a phone. They can send an email. They can show local officials the courtesy of keeping them in the loop.
Municipal officials are the ones we trust as point people to have a firm grasp of what's going on with state-funded projects in their respective cities.
The state needs to keep our city informed. Gov. Jim Justice should remind his department heads to do better.