Wheeling Breaks Ground on Gateway Center Trail Connector and Building Enclosure

WHEELING, W.Va. (October 27, 2026) – Wheeling welcomed federal, state and local leaders today, including U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, to officially break ground on the building enclosure for the Wheeling Gateway Center. The 23,173-square-foot structure will be set back from the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and the building’s design is oriented in a way that maximizes the views of the bridge from Main Street, inside the building, and all exterior spaces.

The first phase will deliver the community’s top priority that emerged from community and visitor design engagement – a new connection and experience linking the Suspension Bridge to the Wheeling Heritage Trail and the waterfront.

This phase will also include an elevator tower that will bring users 40 feet down from the elevation of the suspension bridge, making the site one of the most accessible destinations along the I-70 corridor to a trail and waterfront.  The work on the hillside is necessary to make the experience welcoming and easy to reach for everyone. Additionally, the scope focuses on hillside and site stabilization required to support the building foundations for the future Center, and the building enclosure.  This phase of the project is anticipated to take 16 months to complete.

“It was great to be in Wheeling to celebrate the beginning of the Wheeling Gateway Center’s redevelopment,” Senator Capito said. “Today was a true testament of what can be accomplished when the state, local, and federal level collaborate on our shared vision for the future. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this project will have on tourism and economic development here in Wheeling.”

The site infrastructure and building-enclosure phase is made possible by a coalition of federal and state partners, including the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) funding administered by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

Harold Ward, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, represented the state at the ceremony and spoke to the AMLER investment’s role in moving the project into construction, and in particular, the resources for the hillside re-stabilization and site infrastructure that will allow the building to be situated on the hillside and enclosed on this

riverfront site.

“The Suspension Bridge is part of who we are. It was the original Gateway to the West, and people here have wanted to reconnect it to the river and the trail for a long time,” said Frank O’Brien, Executive Director of the Wheeling CVB. “Today we start building that connection and the bones of the building structure that will house really exciting experiences for our locals and future visitors.”

O’Brien continued, “We’re grateful to West Virginia’s congressional delegation, the state agencies, the City of Wheeling, Ohio County, Wheeling Heritage, Regional Economic Development Partnership and everyone who helped reach this day.”

The future phases will complete the building’s interior infrastructure and finish the interior spaces for the CVB’s future offices, a restaurant and bar experience, and a new visitor and heritage prototype unlike anything the region has seen before.

“There’s still more work ahead to finish the interior and the full experience, but today the most important first piece is under construction, and that is real progress for our community,” O’Brien said. “Construction of the Gateway Center is projected to generate millions in regional economic activity, support several new jobs, and produce millions in tax revenue. When the building is open, it is expected to draw roughly 175,000 additional visitors each year and add more than $100 million annually to the tourism economy. Completing the interior will let us deliver on that promise.”

The immersive experience will celebrate the history and heritage of Wheeling and the Ohio Valley and provide visitors with a customized itinerary to explore key historical assets and organizations throughout downtown and the region.

While the heritage experience has not yet been formally publicized, Wheeling Heritage and the CVB plan to unveil it sometime after Thanksgiving and leading into the holiday season.

“Wheeling Heritage is excited to partner with the CVB and so many others to bring the immersive heritage experience to life,” said Scott Schenerlein, Executive Director of Wheeling Heritage. “After Thanksgiving we’ll begin sharing the story of what visitors will find inside.  It will be an experience that celebrates our history in a way the region has never seen before. Today’s groundbreaking is the start of that next chapter, and we’re proud to be doing it together.”

Details will be announced at a later date.

Anyone can follow the project’s progress through the livestream cameras on the project website.

Users can also subscribe for future construction updates as work advances after the groundbreaking.

More information, project renderings, the livestream, and the subscription link are available at https://wheelinggateway.tippingpointdev.com.

The Wheeling-Ohio County Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for the City of Wheeling and Ohio County. Its mission is to enhance and develop tourism in Wheeling and Ohio County by marketing the area as a premier leisure and business travel destination, and to drive economic success and positively impact the quality of life in the community. The CVB is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit funded by the West Virginia hotel occupancy tax and is an accredited member of the West Virginia Association of CVBs.

Wheeling Heritage is a catalyst for the revitalization of Wheeling. Through historic preservation, community development, and the arts, we help to tell Wheeling’s story and shape its future. We seek to improve the quality of life in Wheeling by preserving and investing in our city, collaborating with others, and engaging the citizens of Wheeling in our work.