WEIRTON – While the project to upgrade Weirton’s water treatment plant comes closer to an end, the Weirton Area Water Board continues its work on upgrades to other aspects of its system.

During last week’s board meeting, members were updated on the progress of several ongoing projects, including a project to replace lines in the area of Walnut Street – which has become a focal point in several instances of water issues in the last few years.

“Preliminary designs are underway,” announced Jesse Alden, project manager from the Thrasher Group. “We are in the process of getting folks up here to do preliminary field work.”

Such field work, he said, should be taking place this week, providing more accurate measurements of that area of the distribution system.

The project has a price tag of $4,340,000, with funding including a $1 million Congressionally Directed Spending grant, coming through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as $3,340,000 from the West Virginia Water Development Authority.

The latter portion of those funds was announced by Gov. Patrick Morrisey while visiting Weirton in April.

The Walnut Street project involves the replacement of 3,500 feet of water lines, primarily serving the city’s downtown, and upgrading from the current 12-inch lines to 18-inch lines.

Breaks in the existing 12-inch main line along Walnut Street, located just below Municipal Plaza, were a major contributor to the water conservation orders issued in Weirton in December 2024 and January 2025 after service was lost to much of downtown.

Crews were called to the area earlier this year for another break but made repairs without major long-term issues.

The board also continues its work on the cast iron and galvanized line replacement project, ordered following an investigation into the 2024 and 2025 outages by the West Virginia Public Service Commission, and currently estimated at a cost of $190 million.

Alden reported a preliminary engineering report and a Rule 42 exhibit – detailing historic financial data, including rates – have been submitted to the state Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council, with a review by the IJDC’s Technical Review and Funding Committee set for July 28, and a consideration by the full council on Aug. 5.

“The council will review all of the documents we submitted,” Alden said, noting the review is part of a potential funding assistance package.

Alden also has submitted requests to both U.S. Sen. Jim Justice and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, both R-W.Va., for $10 million in Congressionally Directed Spending appropriations in support of the cast iron project.

Under the current schedule, plans are to advertise the project for bids in January 2028, with a bid opening in March 2028. Construction could then begin in June 2028 and be completed sometime in 2029.

Officials estimate about 500,000 linear feet of the distribution system is made up of cast iron or galvanized steel, spread across the city’s 18 square miles.

Under the PSC’s timeline, the distribution system replacement must be completed by June 2029.

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