CONNECTION TO RESUME — Among those who participated in Monday morning’s public hearing on re-establishing the connection between the Steel Valley Regional Transit Authority and the Weirton Transit Corp were, from left, Frank Bohach, vice chair of the board of WTC; Phil Gilcrest, WTC transit manager; Heather Dock, SVRTA transit planner; Tim Turner, SVRTA transit manager; and Jerry Thomas, SVRTA operations manager. -- Ross Gallabrese

STEUBENVILLE — Resumption of the transportation link that connects the Steel Valley Regional Transit Authority with the Weirton Transit Corp. will expand opportunities for residents on both sides of the Ohio River — and beyond.

“We’re excited about this,” said Frank Bohach, vice chair of the board of WTC. “Between the two operations, you’re going to have a system that will connect the entire valley.”

Bohach was speaking Monday morning in the conference room at the Main Branch of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County. It was the first of four scheduled public hearings on the connection. A second meeting was held Monday afternoon at the Schiappa Branch, while additional meetings are set for 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday in the Weirton Room of the Millsop Community Center in Weirton.

Once the new service starts next Monday, transfer points between the providers will be established at the Harmon Creek park and ride just off U.S. Route 22 and at the Wal-Mart Super Cener on Three Springs Drive in Weirton. In addition, WTC buses will carry passengers to the R.J. Cutri Multi-Modal Center at the corner of Fifth and Adams streets in Steubenville.

The stops in Weirton, according to Tim Turner, transit manager for SVRTA, will be part of modifications to that operation’s Robinson Township route, which includes service to the Findlay Industrial Park.

“A lot of the Robinson Route has turned into a work-related route,” Turner explained.

According to Jerry Thomas, operations manager for SVRTA, there will be six stops a day for service to Robinson at Harmon Creek and the Weirton Wal-Mart, beginning at 3:50 a.m. with the stop at the park and ride. Weirton stops coming from Robinson will begin at 5:25 a.m. and end at 6:40 p.m.

WTC buses coming to Steubenville will be an extension of its existing Follansbee route, with four buses a day arriving at the Cutri center beginning at 8:10 a.m., and four buses a day leaving the center beginning at 8:56 a.m., explained Phil Gilcrest, transit manager for WTC.

Fares will be based on the carrier providing the service. Service on SVRTA routes generally costs 50 cents, with the cost of Robinson Township Service set at $5. The fare for WTC service is $2.

Once in Robinson, riders are able to transfer to buses operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit and other carriers that serve that portion of Western Pennsylvania. That includes the 28X Airport Flyer, which serves a loop among Robinson, Pittsburgh International Airport and the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.

Heather Dock, transit planner for SVRTA, said among those already taking advantage of the service are area residents, students at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and their parents who are flying into town or flying back to their hometowns and others who are flying into town and find the cost of an Uber between the airport and Steubenville to be too expensive.

In addition to service throughout Steubenville, SVTRA runs routes to Wintersville and Mingo Junction, as well as one to the park and ride along state Route 7 in Rayland, where riders can connect with buses operated by the Ohio Valley-Eastern Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which offers service to communities in and around Martins Ferry, Wheeling and St. Clairsville.

Cookie West, a SVRTA board member and employment and community navigator with the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities, said expanding bus service is important.

“I was a bus rider, so I know the value of it,” West said. “Just seeing people, especially persons with disabilities, being able to access the bus and being able to get out into their communities is a wonderful thing.”

Demand for public transportation in the region is growing, and the agencies said ridership on their systems has increased. SVRTA, for example, said it served 147,000 riders last year.

Officials with the local transit providers said they are happy to be able to restore the link. That connection was suspended in October 2021 and severed last March following months of disputes between the boards over issues including transfer points in Weirton.

Having a solid transportation system among communities across the region is critical, they said, especially with an anticipated growth in business and shopping opportunities.

“Transit is going to play a strong part of that,” Bohach said. “That’s one of the reasons we are so excited about this connection. We can all grow together. We can bring these communities together to work like they should.”