CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The much-anticipated transformational Capital Connector Project is officially going out to bid.
The $26 million infrastructure project, funded by a $1.75 million RAISE planning grant in 2021 and a $24.995 million RAISE construction grant three years later, has undergone several years of designs. Once completed, it will revamp the Capital City’s riverfront from the Kanawha Boulevard and Tennessee Avenue intersection at Magic Island to the 35th Street Bridge with safer walkways, better lighting, and drainage improvements. Work will also be done on a quarter-mile section of Greenbrier Street near the state Capitol, from Kanawha Boulevard to Washington Street, for better safety.
Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin told MetroNews that this builds on the Kanawha Boulevard West improvements that came to a close in 2018.
“This project finally going out to bid for construction is such a major step going forward,” Goodwin said. “It takes a page from the success that we’ve seen on the West Side. When I first became mayor, I said, ‘this is what we need for the entire riverfront. We’re a river city that does not utilize its riverfront to its highest and best use.'”
The planning phase included input from Charleston residents all throughout the process. Goodwin said that safety was at the forefront of the design decisions.
“What folks are going to see are new and improved crosswalk upgrades, better intersections to cross through,” Goodwin said. “Traffic calming measures, streetscapes, more greenery, LED, better lighting, better signage.”
All of these improvements will come together to make a big difference, Goodwin said. As Kanawha Boulevard currently operates with pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, the mayor said that it’s “not optimal” for parents with strollers. The challenges aren’t limited just to parents, she added.
“Even if you’re just jogging by yourself,” Goodwin said. “Or, if we’re trying to get more bicyclists; teaching the littles to bicycle and you’ve got runners coming one way. It’s not a safe area as it currently stands right now. Now, it will be.”
Goodwin said infrastructure improvements like this, and the work currently happening on the busy Carter Bridge, bring challenges with them. She said the city will take time to assess the safest and most efficient path forward for the project, acknowledging that there will be some noise and delays once work begins. Goodwin said the city will be in constant contact with federal highway and state Division of Highways officials all throughout the process.
In the end, she said, making Kanawha Boulevard safer will benefit everyone traveling through the Capital City.
“Quite frankly, it is such a great connection point from the West Side to the East End, into Kanawha City,” Goodwin said. “This is going to blend so beautifully with all the other construction projects that we have going on.”
Often overlooked in the Capital Connector project is the work to Greenbrier Street. She said that it’s a busy area and furthering driver and pedestrian safety is quite important.
“Crossing there now is a challenge,” Goodwin said. “This will also incorporate those wonderful designs and make that very challenging area where we have thousands and thousands of folks driving, walking, and bicycling across that major thoroughfare much, much safer.”
The bidding deadline is December 3. You can learn more about the bid process here.