WEIRTON — City officials are searching for an engineering consultant to assist with plans for the construction of a proposed industrial access road in Weirton.

The city posted a notice on its website earlier this week seeking statements of qualifications for such a consultant “to provide planning, surveying, environmental services, design, permitting, bidding, project management, construction administration and inspection services in addition to other work for road and intersection projects related to development taking place in the city.”

During Monday’s meeting of Weirton Council, the city’s Planning and Development Director Mark Miller noted the main focus will be on the development of the industrial access road project, which has been awarded numerous grants in recent years.

“There’s between six and 10 different pots of money,” Miller explained. “We’re going to need someone to kind of corral that whole thing for us.”

Work may include projects on roads, bridges, utility infrastructure, storm water improvements and other elements, according to the city’s notice.

Plans have called for the proposed industrial access road to serve property owned by the Frontier Group, which had purchased more than 1,100 acres once occupied by Weirton Steel Corp. The road is set to flow from an area near the Weir Avenue and Cove Road intersection, running north through the Frontier Group property, under state Route 2, and, eventually terminating at Brown’s Island.

Plans include the development of a connection point to the road from the area of the Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue intersection.

Miller explained the idea for the consultant came about through discussions between the city of Weirton, the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission, Thrasher Engineering and Form Energy.

City Manager Mike Adams noted there are different requirements for use of the funds, often depending on their source or what state or federal agency is charged with distributing them.

“The crazy thing is, every pot of money has a different set of rules,” Adams said. “It is complex. It is money to be had. We just have to do it right.”

In March, council approved the receipt of $400,000 from the West Virginia Division of Highways through its Industrial Access Road Program. The city also received approximately $600,000 through the same program in 2021, with more than $5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending awarded to the city, BHJ and WVDOT in recent years.