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City manager says Wheeling streetscape includes deep bioswales for stormwater management; DOH, ADA reviews ongoing
Summary
City Manager Herron told Wheeling City Council that the downtown streetscape project includes deep bioswales and storm sewers to meet stormwater requirements for new development, and that the Department of Highways and an ADA review team are evaluating trip hazards and potential railings.
City Manager Herron explained at the April 15 Wheeling City Council meeting that much of the downtown streetscape work is driven by stormwater-management needs rather than aesthetics.
Herron told council that the city constructed major storm sewers — including a deep pipe from Wheeling Creek up Sixteenth Street and Marcus Street — to provide the retention and conveyance capacity necessary for new development in downtown Wheeling. He said the bioswales incorporated in the streetscape are deeper than some residents expected because they were sized to retain runoff and drain into the new storm sewers at a rate that will not surcharge those lines.
"They are deeper than I think what most people expected," Herron said, adding that the design was confirmed with DOH standards. He said the systems were necessary because the downtown historically used a combined sewer system and new development could not legally discharge stormwater into that combined system without additional retention.
Herron also noted that the streetscape project arose in part to enable private development on sites where applicants could not otherwise meet stormwater-discharge standards; he cited examples including corporate headquarters and other downtown projects that required off-site stormwater capacity to proceed.
Council members asked whether railings or gates similar to ones seen in Pittsburgh might be installed to reduce trip or fall hazards around the bioswales. Herron said an analysis is underway and that an ADA review team visited several weeks earlier to identify trip hazards and make recommendations to the West Virginia Department of Highways (DOH). He said DOH is considering recommendations and that the analysis has not been completed; council retains a seat at the table on aesthetic and maintenance decisions.
Why it matters: The streetscape alterations are tied to compliance with stormwater standards and to enabling downtown redevelopment. The depth and design of bioswales affect pedestrian safety, ADA access, downstream sewer capacity and the city's long-term stormwater profile.
What to watch: DOH recommendations on rails/handrails and ADA-related mitigations, completion of the railing analysis, and the growth and planting of trees and plants intended to provide visual barriers around bioswales.
