WHEELING — A portion of Heritage Trail between the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and Fort Henry Bridge will be closed while demolition of the former Wheeling Inn proceeds, and the work is also expected to create minor restrictions for motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow in the area, as well.

Raze International Inc. of Shadyside launched into the actual demolition work at the site of the former hotel near the city’s main entrance from Interstate 70 this past week. Raze was hired to handle the abatement and removal of the hotel with plans to make room for a proposed Wheeling Gateway Visitors and Heritage Center.

Officials with Tipping Point, the consultant on the Gateway project, this week released an advisory about how the downtown demolition will impact pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic over the next six to eight weeks.

Tipping Point officials said Wheeling city leaders and the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau — which purchased the Wheeling Inn property and is helping to spearhead the Wheeling Gateway project — plan to issue important updates to the public regarding the ongoing project. They said in order to ensure safety and to minimize disruptions, the city of Wheeling has worked closely with state officials, the Gateway team and the demolition crews to coordinate plans for pedestrian and vehicular traffic during this period.

“The city team has worked closely with the state, the architects and engineers to come up with the safest, least disruptive plan to complete the full demolition of the building,” Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said. “Assuming we don’t discover any unknowns and we maintain a safe perimeter around the site, the building should be mostly gone by the end of the year.”

Closures and area restrictions will be in place only during active demolition hours, which are expected to be Monday through Thursday and select Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The adjacent portion of Heritage Trail between the area of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and the Fort Henry Bridge — directly west of the Wheeling Inn property — will be closed during active work hours. Signage has been put in place at the 8th Street entrance to the trail and at Heritage Port to notify the public of these closures.

On Main Street, the sidewalk around the perimeter of the demolition site will be closed to pedestrians during active work hours. Pedestrians will be free to use the sidewalk on the opposite side of Main Street.

Vehicular traffic along this section of Main Street will be impacted by a lane closure during active work hours, as well. The right shoulder of Main Street is expected to be closed from the area of the I-70 off-ramp to the area adjacent to the hotel near the Suspension Bridge.

Officials noted that construction flaggers will be present on Main Street as needed to help construction vehicles safely enter and exit the site to remove debris caused by the demolition work.

Pedestrian access to the Wheeling Suspension Bridge will remain open throughout the demolition process. However, construction signage will be stationed to consolidate pedestrian traffic to the south entrance of the bridge to avoid any adjacent activity that may be occurring throughout the day.

Demolition is being paid through funding obtained via the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s DLAP (Reclamation of Abandoned and Dilapidated Properties) Program.

Work to tear down the former hotel began on Wednesday immediately after the collaborative team working on the Gateway project unveiled conceptual plans for the new visitors and heritage center. The designs by Desmone Architects show a sleek new building overlooking the river with viewing platforms and glass walls aimed at highlighting the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge.

Plans call for an outdoor plaza, a multi-level center with a rooftop restaurant area and access to Heritage Trail below along the river — complete with an elevator and stairway tower that connects a walkway viewing bridge over the trail to the center.

Frank O’Brien, executive director of the Wheeling-Ohio County CVB, said funding from a variety of sources has been secured to help bring the Wheeling Gateway project to life. It is expected to cost roughly $18 million, and if all goes well, could be completed within about two years, officials estimated.

Local, state and federal officials have all thrown support behind the project, which has been described as a key piece to the Friendly City’s continued redevelopment.

For more information, news and updates on the Wheeling Gateway Visitors and Heritage Center project, visit https://wheelinggateway.tippingpointdev.com.