The Preston County Parks and Recreation Commission received the official Notice to Proceed for the construction of the first section of the West Virginia Northern rail-trail.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation issued the Notice to Proceed on Jan. 27, to PCPaRC and project partner, Friends of the Cheat. The first section of this rail-trail will now move to the construction phase.
The first section to be constructed will begin at the former West Virginia Northern depot building site along Tunnelton Street in Kingwood, near the Craig Civic Center.
From there, the corridor will curve through the residential neighborhood adjacent to Charles Street and down to a 5-acre property along Sisler Street, owned by PCPaRC — formerly the West Virginia Northern maintenance “shops” facility.
From the Sisler Street property, the West Virginia Northern rail-trail will turn sharply to the south and begin the course to Tunnelton. The total length of trail to be completed in this first construction phase will be about 2.7 miles, ending at Snider’s Crossing Road, south of Kingwood.
The rail-trail is a 10-mile trail connecting Kingwood to Tunnelton, via the former West Virginia Northern rail corridor. The West Virginia Northern rail-trail project has been ongoing since 2002, when FOC and the Preston rail-trail committee first began work to acquire the corridor and develop the trail. PCPaRC joined the effort in 2012 taking ownership of the trail corridor.
Funding to purchase and construct this first section of the West Virginia Northern rail-trail comes from the Federal Transportation Alternatives Program, which is administered through the DOT.
Information on the construction bidding process will be announced to the public as soon as details are available. PCPaRC is asking for all interested contractors to watch for the upcoming Request for Bids.
