NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. -- City officials in New Cumberland announced Friday their plans to close a sidewalk and set of stairs in the downtown area for safety reasons.

The move will make pedestrian access to the upper part of the city from the lower end of town more difficult but Mayor Richard Blackwell showed NEWS9's Kelly Camarote why it's necessary.

"When a truck is coming down the hill and a truck is going up the hill, the back wheels on the trailer will go up over the curve onto the sidewalk. It would not be good if there was somebody walking down the hill, " said Blackwell. "A couple of the steps are loose. We are temporarily closing those to make it safe."

Blackwell said funds are available to hire an engineer firm to conduct a preliminary study to find the best fix for the problems but they'll need to look for outside grant funding to make the needed repairs.