New public transit facility will address growing demand in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. ( DC News Now ) — In the Mountain State’s eastern panhandle, 13 public transit routes are serving 200,000 riders annually, and that number is growing.

To meet demand, a new $20 million multi-modal, ADA-compliant transit center was unveiled on June 26. The 24,000-square-foot facility will feature eight electric bus charging stations and platforms to accommodate level boarding.

“The growing population of the eastern panhandle, especially in Berkeley and Jefferson counties,” said Elaine Bartoldson with the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority . “Had led to increasing demand for public transit daily.”

“It took nine years to get here,” said Matt Mullenax with the regional planning authority. “We have a lot of folks to thank for funding, our federal and state and local partners, support from the community, the City of Martinsburg, and the Berkeley and Jefferson County commissions.”

There will be bicycle parking at the facility connecting from the Raleigh Street bike trail extension along with 55 “kiss & ride” parking spaces.

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