Wick Avenue to reopen Friday after more than a year

YOUNGSTOWN

It’s been a long time coming, but the reopening of Wick Avenue is Friday – finally.

“It’s a project that has demanded the patience of the stakeholders along Wick Avenue, the [Youngstown State University] community and folks who drive on Wick Avenue,” said Mayor John A. McNally. “I’m very excited the project will be open and completed. It’s a great look for the Wick corridor.”

The project closed Wick Avenue from Wood Street to McGuffey Road since late September 2016.

It was supposed to take 12 months to complete, but “a lot of unforeseen circumstances,” particularly underground utility wires and pipes, caused a delay of a month, said Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works.

“Most of the issues were lines that nobody knew were there,” he said. “It’s pretty common downtown because the underground lines are so old and the maps the utility companies gave us weren’t that accurate. That was the big part of the delay.”

But Shasho said, “The short-term pains will be well worth the long-term gains on this work. "

Read more about the project in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.