Retaining Wall and One-Lane Status of Center Street Temporary as Normal Traffic to Return in November
By Jeff Toquinto on May 15, 2025
Editor's Note I: Late Wednesday, the West Virginia Division of Highways announced they had accepted bids - but has not yet approved them - for 30 construction projects. Among them was the Center Street Bridge project. How it will fit in with the November timeline mentioned in this story is unknown.
For those wondering if the large retaining wall in place on Center Street is permanent as it is a fairly large structure in the roadway, it is only temporary. However, it will be up longer than initially planned.
The area of Center Street in question, between Main Street and Philadelphia Avenue, has been one lane since late December 2024. The reason for the single lane is due to the construction of the retaining wall to allow for contractors to have access to the backside of Simpson
Elementary School.
Elementary School.
The access point was needed to allow for a $2.7 million project being done at the school by Lombardi Development Company of Follansbee. They are putting in two new classrooms and a multi-purpose room that will also serve as the 100-plus-year-old school’s first gymnasium.
According to Harrison County Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jimmy Lopez, the project was to have essentially been completed by July 30. That would have meant the retaining wall would be coming down just before or just after that date.
Lopez, however, said the timeline has been pushed back. The reason stems from several items from issues with the road itself, footers, storm drains, and on the electrical front. Lopez 
said the new timeline for the project to be essentially complete is November. However, he confirmed that the wall will be coming down at roughly the same time and that would mean traffic would be back to normal – at least for a while.
said the new timeline for the project to be essentially complete is November. However, he confirmed that the wall will be coming down at roughly the same time and that would mean traffic would be back to normal – at least for a while.
Although it was supposed to happen this year, Mayor Andy Lang said a replacement of Center Street Bridge announced by former City Engineer Beth Fox at a December 2024 strategic planning meeting by City Council is still in the works. However, the state was looking at that happening in 2025 when announced at the meeting.
Lang said following Monday’s City Council meeting that he did not have a timeline, but that it will not happen in this calendar year. The reason he is confident about that is that there have been no documents put out to bid or further contact. However, when it does happen, traffic off Main Street onto to Center will be off limits until the bridge is replaced.
Editor's Note II: Top photo shows the retaining wall on Center Street that has led to single-lane traffic, while Harrison County Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jimmy Lopez is shown below.
