The city will be able to pursue security upgrades at WesBanco Arena and the relocation of the OVRTA bus terminal at the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center through allocations included in the 2023 spending bill passed by Congress.

Other programs for which Wheeling received funding include continuation of the Small Business Facade Improvement Program and a stormwater enhancement program on Nuttal Avenue.

All told, the 2023 federal spending bill passed by Congress includes more than $13 million in funding for several projects scheduled to unfold in the Northern Panhandle. West Virginia overall received more than $250 million in the bill.

The Northern Panhandle projects that received funding are:

– WesBanco Arena Safety and Security enhancements, $675,000

– City of Wheeling Small Business Facade Improvement Program, $500,000

– Nuttal Avenue Stormwater Enhancements in the Warwood area of Wheeling, $941,000

– Town of Triadelphia – Village of Valley Grove Water System Improvements, $5 million

– Catholic Charities West Virginia Inc. for support of a hospital transition program, $233,000

– Wheeling Ironworkers Local 549 for an apprenticeship program, including the purchase of equipment, $500,000

– Second (Highlands) Interchange at Interstate 70 Phase I (feasibility study), $730,000

– Ohio Valley Regional Transit Authority (OVRTA) for the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transit Center (feasibility study and engineering for relocation of bus terminal to Nailers Way side), $400,000

– Follansbee Fire House, $2.7 million

– Weirton Frontier Crossing project, $1.5 million.

Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said the security improvements to WesBanco Arena are expected to include various modern upgrades, including installation of a fob system for controlled access and enhancements to screening equipment at the entrances.

“This will enhance security at the arena,” he said. “They will be similar to what you see in larger arenas.”

The plan to reposition the OVRTA bus terminal at the Intermodal garage will move it from the east side along Main Street to the west side along Nailer’s Way near WesBanco Arena. Herron said plans call for the creation of a partially covered area along the garage, as well.

Funding will also help the city continue funding its popular Facade Improvement program and will help address an issue with mine drainage along the hillside in Warwood, where a major storm sewer project is expected to take place.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the task of crafting legislation that fully funds the government is never easy.

“This process can be a challenging one, but after negotiation and compromise, I am pleased that so many West Virginia priorities I have fought for since I came to the Senate were addressed,” Capito said. “Most importantly, I was able to lend my voice to ensure support for priorities that are important to West Virginia.”

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, described the funding bill as a “bipartisan, fiscally sound compromise.”

“Many of the West Virginia priorities that I proudly found for, such as increased funding to fight the drug epidemic, resources to boost West Virginia’s growing defense industry and millions of dollars to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure are included in this omnibus bill,” Manchin said. “I will continue to advocate for West Virginia and American priorities while also working to get our fiscal house in order.”