Today in Wheeling History: April 7--Break-through ceremony of the Wheeling Tunnel held (1964).
On April 7, 1964, Governor W.W. Barron ignited an earth-shaking blast at precisely 2:28 p.m., officially opening the entrance to the Wheeling Hill Tunnel. This ceremonial "breakthrough" marked a significant milestone in West Virginia's largest single highway contract in history to that point, the $6.9 million tunnel project. Several hundred spectators gathered at the corner of Baker and McColloch Streets in East Wheeling to witness the historic event, which was part of the expanding Interstate 70 system through the city.
The ceremony featured numerous dignitaries including State Road Commissioner Burl A. Sawyers, Wheeling Mayor Charles Ihlenfeld, and officials from the construction firm C.J. Langenfelder & Sons. The Wheeling High School Band provided music for the ceremony, which concluded with a benediction by Major George Woods of the Salvation Army. During his remarks, Governor Barron declared that "indeed the dirt did fly" and characterized the breakthrough as exemplifying "the vastly improved capability of our State Road Commission." The governor emphasized that road building had become "big, big business" in West Virginia.
The 1,400-foot twin tunnels would take another two years to complete, officially opening to traffic on December 7, 1966. The tunnels became a crucial link in Interstate 70, cutting through Wheeling Hill. Though celebrated as progress, the construction dramatically altered Wheeling's neighborhoods, particularly displacing residents and businesses in parts of East Wheeling. The tunnel construction was part of a broader interstate highway expansion that transformed the city's landscape, with significant impacts on communities like Goosetown, Elm Grove, and East Wheeling, where numerous homes and businesses were demolished to make way for the new roadways.
To learn more: Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/3anun77a) (https://tinyurl.com/2av98xwh), Archiving Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/ywa5tt6j), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/2cym724w)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
On April 7, 1964, Governor W.W. Barron ignited an earth-shaking blast at precisely 2:28 p.m., officially opening the entrance to the Wheeling Hill Tunnel. This ceremonial "breakthrough" marked a significant milestone in West Virginia's largest single highway contract in history to that point, the $6.9 million tunnel project. Several hundred spectators gathered at the corner of Baker and McColloch Streets in East Wheeling to witness the historic event, which was part of the expanding Interstate 70 system through the city.
The ceremony featured numerous dignitaries including State Road Commissioner Burl A. Sawyers, Wheeling Mayor Charles Ihlenfeld, and officials from the construction firm C.J. Langenfelder & Sons. The Wheeling High School Band provided music for the ceremony, which concluded with a benediction by Major George Woods of the Salvation Army. During his remarks, Governor Barron declared that "indeed the dirt did fly" and characterized the breakthrough as exemplifying "the vastly improved capability of our State Road Commission." The governor emphasized that road building had become "big, big business" in West Virginia.
The 1,400-foot twin tunnels would take another two years to complete, officially opening to traffic on December 7, 1966. The tunnels became a crucial link in Interstate 70, cutting through Wheeling Hill. Though celebrated as progress, the construction dramatically altered Wheeling's neighborhoods, particularly displacing residents and businesses in parts of East Wheeling. The tunnel construction was part of a broader interstate highway expansion that transformed the city's landscape, with significant impacts on communities like Goosetown, Elm Grove, and East Wheeling, where numerous homes and businesses were demolished to make way for the new roadways.
To learn more: Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/3anun77a) (https://tinyurl.com/2av98xwh), Archiving Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/ywa5tt6j), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/2cym724w)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
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