Parkersburg sidewalk project aims to protect pedestrians
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PARKERSBURG -- Work started Monday on a new sidewalk near Gihon Elementary School by the City of Parkersburg.
The project will cover Gihon Road from Hugh Street to David Lee Drive and David Lee Drive from Gihon Road to Capital Drive. The improvements made will be new sidewalks, drainage enhancements and Americans with Disability Act crosswalks.
The project has been in the works since 2015, Parkersburg City Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said. A state grant of $65,000 was awarded in 2016 with a $16,000 local match, but the actual expense was later determined to be $481,000.
The city later applied for additional funding as directed by state officials. In November 2021, it was announced that the project would be underway in the spring of 2022 with the state ultimately providing $309,000 for the project and the city matching with nearly $78,000.
With the announcement of the plan to begin in the spring, a contract was awarded to the Washington County company of Wolf Creek Contracting of Waterford. It will installing or replace about 1,040 feet of sidewalk near Gihon Elementary.
The City of Parkersburg Monday cited the Parkersburg Community Development Block Grant and the Transportation Alternatives Program through the West Virginia Department of Transportation for the funding for the project.
Kuhl has been concerned with the walking conditions near Gihon for quite a while. One day, as she was driving in the area, she saw a group of children walking in the middle of the road, and she pulled over to talk to them.
"You could get hit," she said, pleading with them not to walk in the road. She knew things had to change.
Kuhl is among those responsible for acquiring the grant. She considers it a huge victory for the entire city, the people living in the area and especially for the children who have had to walk on the road or in the mud to get to and from school. After being elected in 2016, Kuhl discussed the project with Gov. Jim Justice and other state officials, emphasizing the need for the project. In 2020, she applied for the increased funding, which was granted.
"I was mad," she said while discussing how unsafe the roads are for children trying to get to and from school. Whether it be busy roads or muddy grass, children have been walking in poor and dangerous conditions for years.
"It needed to be done," she said.
Construction begins at 7 a.m. and concludes by 7 p.m. each day until completion. Upon completion, it will connect more residential areas of Parkersburg with the Gihon Elementary campus with the goals of making walking there safer and improving existing infrastructure.
The project was first estimated to be finished by Sept. 23, but it may be finished before the start of the school year in August, according to Kuhl.
Maddie Harris can be reached at editorial@newsandsentinel.com