|
Posted: 11:23 PM Aug 11, 2008
Huntington Considering "Invisible" Flood Wall
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built it 60 years ago to keep Huntington from flooding, the flood wall has hindered economic development, according to some city leaders.
Reporter: Dave BentonEmail Address: dave.benton@wsaz.com |
|
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built it 60 years ago to keep Huntington from flooding, the flood wall has hindered economic development, according to some city leaders.
As a result, they're looking at an "invisible" flood wall that can be assembled when needed. A removable barrier is put in place only when floodwaters reach dangerous levels.
"It blocks (Harris Riverfront Park) from the whole city," Bill Toney of the Municipal Development Authority said of the current flood wall. "The best advertisement is sight. If we have new development down there, people need to see it. Now the floodwall is a barrier."
Dave Duffield, owner of Holderby’s Landing, which is located on the Huntington riverfront, said his business comes almost entirely from downtown.
"This is an asset," Duffield said of the Ohio River. "You can't see it (because of the flood wall). It’s a real benefit to the county and state. We've been talking about this for a long time."
City officials say the biggest obstacles for an “invisible” flood wall are money and approval from CSX. Its train tracks run adjacent to the floodwall through much of downtown.
Toney, Mayor David Felinton and the city’s development director are planning a trip to Louisville, Ky., soon to look at a similar “invisible” flood wall.
It could cost nearly $2 million to tear down the existing flood wall, and the city would need federal funding to help with the project.
Latest Comments
Ah yes, an invisibile floodwall so we can see the Clorox bottles floating downstream; so we can gaze lovingly on the cops handing out speeding tickets in Chesapeake. Why not invisible potholes? I think they just made the Inferno club invisible. I go there and dance on the softball field every Friday and Saturday night.
[ Report Abuse ]
as i remember it they cant find the rails to block the entrances of the existing wall if there is a flood (either lost or stolen).As to the Fourth Avenue debacle, no store with a large enough customer base to pay enough in taxes to pay for the "improvments" will ever open there... Once again we will pay for it and our neighborhood streets will remain unpaved and our sidewalks in disrepair... Crime? oh don't even go there.
[ Report Abuse ]
And J- in case you didn't know, the mayor's name is David...hmph..skimmers and uninformed
[ Report Abuse ]
|
Popular Searches Powered by Local.com |
- Rape victim's parents charged with child abuse
- Arrests in Italy linked to Mumbai attacks
- Hospital hearing set for Hasan
- Prosecutor: Knox resented roommate
- H1N1 cases down; vaccine access up
- Plea deal reached in Wal-Mart trial
- Anglican leader to meet with Pope
- Fans mourn end of 'Oprah' show
- Dozens missing after China mine blast
- Senate vote next step on health bill road
- Students hold buildings in protest
- CDC: H1N1 cases down, vaccine availability up
- Charge against Blackwater guard dropped
- Oprah ending talk show in 2011
- 'Summers were the worst,' says woman in sex abuse case
- Senate vote next step on what could be a long road for health care
- Attorney: Fort Hood suspect to be held in hospital
- Burned Florida teen having skin graft surgery
- New cervical cancer screening guidelines released
- Ex-U.S. official, wife to plead guilty in Cuba spy case
- Prosecutor: Knox taunted, killed victim
- Pope to meet Anglican leader amid tensions
- Scores missing after China mine blast
- Bacteria prompts nasal spray recall in U.S., Europe
- Blind students sing upon school supplies' arrival
- Peru: Arrests made in ring that sold human fat
- Right-wing activists storm TV station over 'bias'
- Football fever turns nasty in Cairo
- Man who killed wife while dreaming is released
- Police find body, 3 rifles after Saipan shooting spree
- Prosecutor: Knox tortured roommate
- Parents of 8-year-old rape victim charged with abuse
- Florida men sentenced for plotting terror attacks
- Wal-Mart line jumper to plead guilty to resisting arrest
- 'Summers were the worst,' Mohler family accuser says
- Burned Florida teen having skin graft surgery
- Hospital hearing sought for Fort Hood suspect
- Man faces murder charge in Shaniya Davis case
- Suspects sold fat harvested from corpses, authorities say
- Police: Suspect in Arkansas slayings killed in shootout
- Scrutiny for cancer screenings
- Can your doctor spot H1N1?
- Purpose found after loved ones' suicides
- CDC: H1N1 cases down, vaccine availability grows
- 'I want my mammograms!'
- What to expect in Saturday health care vote
- New cervical cancer screening guidelines released
- Vicks nasal spray recalled over bacteria
- Two men reflect national divide over health reform
- HIV+ soccer team scores against stigma
- Michigan-Ohio State and more Saturday Storylines
- Predictions for Michigan-Ohio St. and more
- Seth Davis: Syracuse will go as far as the once-reluctant Johnson carries it
- Hawks soar to league-best 11-2 on Smith's tip-in
- No. 6 Boise St. rips Utah St. to stay in BCS chase
- LeBron drops 40 as Cavs pull away from Pacers
- Death of Brees' mother ruled a suicide
- Carter's big 4th quarter carries Magic past Celtics
- Giants LB Pierce out indefinitely with neck injury
- Knicks decide against signing free-agent Iverson
- South Charleston Police Seek 2 Teens in Connection with 'Gruesome' Murder
- Hundreds Greet Miles Ferguson on Return Home to Portsmouth
- Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Overturns in Va., Killing 1
- Ambulance Crashes while En Route to Accident, 3 Hurt
- Child Hit By Bus in Front of School
- One Dead in Boyd County Crash, Name Released
- UPDATE: I-64 Crash Sends One Person to the Hospital
- Oprah Winfrey to Announce Friday Show will End in 2011
- Racial Profiling Allegations in Huntington; HPD Chief Said He Was Barred from News Conference
- Name Released: Man Shot in South Charleston, Found Near Mound
- Hundreds Greet Miles Ferguson on Return Home to Portsmouth
591 Comments - One Dead in Boyd County Crash, Name Released
54 Comments - Huntington City Council Members Discuss Violence in Downtown Bars
30 Comments - MCTC Picks New Name, Initials Remain the Same
20 Comments - UPDATE: Two Arrested in Double Carter County Murder
17 Comments - Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Overturns in Va., Killing 1
16 Comments
![]() |
| PHONE IN YOUR YELLS TO: 1-866-616-5354 |
![]() |
Full 2010 Olympic coverage from the WSAZ Olympic Zone. Coverage begins Friday, Feb. 12, at 7:30p with the Opening Ceremony on WSAZ |
![]() |
A glittering holiday show full of fun and surprises for the whole family! Children thrill as Santa takes them on a magical ride to his workshop. |
![]() |
Healthy Connections Find a local health professional |
![]() |
A collection of resources here to help Moms weather the daily storms that come along with parenting. |
| SOMC Very good things are happening here |
|
| WV Lottery Nightly drawings and numbers |
|
| Big Sandy For all your furniture and appliance needs |
|
| Healthy Tri-State Tips to live a healthier lifestyle |





