Media access to the Wheeling Tunnel is not being denied, but it will be controlled by the West Virginia Division of Highways communications office.
WVDOH spokesman Brent Walker said Friday arrangements can be made for reporters to visit the site or interview District 6 officials.
"The secretary (state transportation Secretary Paul A. Mattox Jr.) has made it clear he wants the public to be informed about the tunnel project, but he wants the information to be factual," Walker said. "That can only be accomplished through one source - the communications office."
Article Photos
Photo by Scott McCloskey
A tractor trailer is shown exiting the westbound tube of the Wheeling Tunnel.
Walker's comments follow an announcement Wednesday by District 6 Construction Engineer Danny Sikora, who said all information concerning the two-year renovation project by the Velotta Co. of Sharon Center, Ohio, must now be disseminated by the Division of Highways' public information office in Charleston.
"It has never been our intention to deny access to information," Walker said. "We are excited the work is resuming, and access to the site will be provided when deemed appropriate."
He said WVDOH's decision to centralize information to the public is designed to eliminate criticism derived from misinformation.
"By centralizing information, the public will receive information from one source, and it will be accurate," he said.
Walker said all construction sites are controlled by the general contractor and, in the case of the tunnel, the site is controlled by Safeco Surety, the bonding company insuring Velotta's performance.
"If a reporter wants to visit the site or interview District 6 engineers, we will do whatever possible to accommodate the request," he said. "They simply have to contact our office."
Walker said access to the tunnel is no more restricted than access to any other WVDOH construction site.
"Obviously, we cannot allow reporters or members of the public to walk freely around work zones where safety hazards exist," he said. "The presence of high-pressure water and air lines, moving equipment and other construction activities present the possibility of danger at any given time."
Walker said his office plans to issue press releases each Friday, beginning Aug. 8, detailing progress made during the week and outlining projected goals for the following week. The first briefing is planned for next week to allow Safeco Surety time to refine its schedule.
"We are also considering some form of on-site media information day at various time," he said.
He said the DOH had no part in the posting of "No Paparazzi" and "No Reporters" signs near the entrance of the work zone on Market Street.
"Obviously, we did not do that," he said. "It was probably done by a worker or somebody trying to be funny."