Heads up, trail users: a stretch of the Wheeling Heritage Trail around the Wheeling Gateway Center construction site has been closed since last Thursday, September 24. As of yesterday, permanent 6-foot chain-link fencing is in place across the trail on both sides of the site, next to the Suspension Bridge.

Trail users should not attempt to cross the construction site. The map above shows the pedestrian detour route users should follow while this work is being completed. If you reach the fence, don’t try to climb over or go around it. Turn around and follow the detour.

Public parking and the sidewalks immediately around the Gateway Center site are also restricted.

This is because construction is underway on the site of the new Wheeling Gateway Visitors and Heritage Center. Crews are now starting the hardest part of the job: rebuilding the steep 40-foot hillside between the Suspension Bridge, Main Street, and the riverfront.

Work for this portion of the project is expected to continue until early summer of 2027. The trail closure will not impact the region’s annual Ogden Wellness Weekend, scheduled to occur in May 2027.

This work will deliver a rebuilt hillside held in place by new retaining walls, a reconnected stretch of trail, and the community’s top priority for the project: an elevator tower that will provide a future accessible route from the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge and the Gateway Center down to the waterfront trail.

Want to watch it come together? The community can now watch a new construction live stream on the project website.

To watch the live stream, follow weekly construction updates, view renderings of the new Gateway Center, or ask a detour question, visit https://wheelinggateway.tippingpointdev.com.

To read the full update, visit: https://www.tippingpointdev.com/post/permanent-fencing-now-in-place-across-wheeling-heritage-trail-at-gateway-center-site-trail-users-mu