The city of Parkersburg has started a project to make travel easier for handicapped residents.

One hundred sixty four curbside ramps will be created on Parkersburg sidewalks during the next two months to make wheelchair travel easier.

Nobody knows the necessity for this better than Parkersburg resident Jane Burdette.

Burdette has been in a wheelchair since she was 13 years old.

She's well-accustomed to maneuvering her chair out the door, down the driveway and on her way to the park, but it's not always this easy.

"I would go down our street, and then along the sidewalk out in the main street, which is 23rd Street. So you're talking about a very busy street in Parkersburg."

Now Burdette's problems may be solved.

Starting Monday morning, construction crews began installing ramps on sidewalks all over town.

"West Virginia has the largest population in the country for having people with disabilities and when you take into account their accessibility around the city and able to move more freely, it's going to help a lot."

Ron Stadler is a city engineer on the project. He says 10 years ago federal law mandated that all communities become handicap accessible. He says at that time, the city made a funding plan for the project. He says it's something the city has been working on since then, and this project is only a small part of the overall picture.

Burdette says, "When you stop trying to improve upon a situation, whether it's within yourself or within your community, you stop growing, so there's always work that can be done."

The project started on 23rd Street Monday, not far from City Park, but construction crews soon will be installing other ramps throughout the city.