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It would be hard pressed to find a way that the demolition of the old TCI building in Wheeling's Elm Grove neighborhood could have gone better. Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron recently told Wheeling City Council members that the project, which knocked down one of the neighborhood's biggest eyesores, could be done three days early.
That means that the Junior Avenue Bridge, which many folks who live in that neighborhood use to get to their homes, and local shops and restaurants, will open early, too. The bridge has been closed during the demolition.
"There is still a little bit of wiggle room there, but we are hopeful that we'll be able to open that a little bit early," Herron said.
The project, which began on Sept. 8, was sorely needed for that stretch of National Road. Not only was the building awful to look at, vacant and crumbling for years, but that deterioration also created potential hazards in that area. Demolishing the building didn't come without its difficulties. Lanes had to close on National Road near the site, which snarled traffic in what can often be a busy stretch of the road. Yet the undertaking was done well, and done quickly.
Regardless of the future of that land, the simple fact that the building is gone is a vast improvement. On top of that, it was done quickly and efficiently, and what's better than that?