GETTING A NEW LOOK – Weirton Council, Monday, approved a contract with the Thrasher Group for a redesign of the intersection at Main Street, County Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. The project is part of ongoing plans for the development of an industrial access road through property once owned by Weirton Steel Corp. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON – As part of continuing efforts to redevelop the infrastructure of the city’s north end, Weirton Council is moving forward on plans to redesign one of the city’s most-traveled intersections.

Council, during its meeting Monday, unanimously approved a resolution to enter into a professional services contract with the Thrasher Group “for the planning, surveying, environmental services, design, permitting, bidding, project management, construction administration and inspection services” for the development and construction of a new intersection at the junction of state Route 2 and Pennsylvania Avenue in the city.

The work is a portion of the ongoing plans for a new industrial access road, to be built through property once housing much of the former Weirton Steel Corp. and now owned by the Frontier Group of Companies.

“They’re going to be helping us with the intersection portion,” Planning and Development Director Mark Miller said of the contract with Thrasher.

The industrial access road project has been a focal point in the remediation of the Frontier Group property, with the City of Weirton and the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission receiving funding through the West Virginia Division of Highways with a goal of improving traffic flow and safety on Main Street by reducing the amount of industrial vehicles traveling through that area of the city.

The work by Thrasher is not to exceed $800,000, which is the amount remaining through the grant programs.

The new intersection, once constructed, would provide improved access to County Road, Main Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and the Frontier property as well as Form Factory 1.

The intersection will be owned by the State of West Virginia.

Miller said a planning meeting is being held in the coming days to review the proposals and begin design of the intersection.

“Hopefully, we’ll have that project kicked off sooner than later,” Miller said.

According to the resolution approved Monday, the city received eight responses to its request for qualifications on the project, with four firms interviewed after a review of the proposals.

During its September regular meeting, Council approved a contract with Herbert, Rowland and Grubic Inc., for up to $3 million, for the planning of the industrial access road itself.

Plans for the road, as previously discussed publicly, would have it access Frontier-owned property near the intersection of Cove Road and Weir Avenue, traveling north into the area once occupied by Weirton Steel’s Basic Oxygen Plant, then turning west connecting other areas of the property. Eventually, the goal would have the road reach Brown’s Island.

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)