Marion County has an exceptional public transit system, Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority (FMCTA), that serves most of the County as well as the I-79 Corridor. The system utilizes 26 vehicles covering 17 routes Monday through Friday between 4:45 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and four routes on Saturday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The FMCTA currently provides demand responsive service comparable to their regular routes. Service is also provided to downtown Clarksburg and the Veterans’ Hospital and to Morgantown and Ruby Memorial Hospital.

The pulse system that FMCTA uses has all routes converging at a single transfer point in Fairmont. That point is located on Jefferson Street next to the Marion County Court House. This appears to be an excellent opportunity to incorporate an inter-modal transfer facility for FMCTA. The facility would tie together transit, bicycle, pedestrian, the nearby Greyhound terminal, Fairmont’s specialized transportation system (Marion County Senior Citizens), and taxi companies. With the revitalization of the downtown and the emergence of a renaissance plan, the inter-modal Transfer Center could be a showpiece for Fairmont. A potential funding source for this facility is available through the provisions of the TEA-21

Legislation, which places a premium on inter-modal considerations in transportation planning, as did its predecessor, ISTEA. The City of Wheeling recently completed a major parking facility that incorporates an inter-modal transfer facility using funds made available through ISTEA.

Another location for a Transfer Facility, that would tie into the I-79 transportation corridor, would be the South Fairmont interchange at the Middletown Mall. This would be the connecting point for Clarksburg’s CENTA and Morgantown’s Mountain Line systems. As the corridor continues to increase in importance, a connecting point between the two destinations seems to make sense.

There is also some concern over the long run that the current fleet has been mostly purchased using discretionary Federal dollars matched by the State through a Statewide grant. This has been an ongoing arrangement and may be a long-term concern if the Federal discretionary funding is no longer available. FMCTA is in a better position than most of the other transit authorities in the State because of the commitment of the citizens of Marion County to the transit levy. The levy alone, however, would not be able to meet future replacement of the vehicles without the support of Federal or State dollars.

It is, therefore, recommended that a feasibility study be performed to determine if the inter-modal Transfer Center at the Court House and the Transfer Facility at the Middletown Mall have some merit. If one or both of the facilities makes sense, then a Federal discretionary grant should be pursued to build these projects.

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