Mountain State Transit Authority works to renovate its Summersville headquarters

Renovation work has begun on the Mountain State Transit Authority’s (MTA) headquarters in Summersville, W. Va. The renovation project aims to modernize and expand the current facilities at MTA’s Summersville headquarters to accommodate the community’s growing demands of service. 

The MTA operates bus services in Nicholas, Webster, Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties, including the communities of Summersville, Richwood, Webster Springs and Lewisburg. The agency added Pocahontas County to its bus lines in 2021, providing better access for Pocahontas County residents to the rest of the county and to the other counties served by MTA. 
  
“We have several people tell us, if it wasn’t for MTA, they would not be able to go to jobs,” said MTA General Manager Tim Thomas. “They would not be able to go to medical. They would not be able to go to school. And by school, I mean college.” 
  
In addition, its service routes connect to the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority (KRT), enabling residents access to crucial links to transportation hubs in Fayette County and beyond. 
  
“This is the beginning of headquarter rehabilitation projects that will serve the public's needs for the next 20 years,” said Bill Robinson, executive director of public transit in the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities. 
  
The renovation plans include the construction of new office spaces to support the administrative and operational needs of the agency. This will also involve the creation of a dedicated training room, which will serve as a valuable resource for driver education and other professional development programs. 
  
In addition to office and training space, the project will focus on expanding the garage area to house more buses, ensuring that MTA can continue to accommodate its growing fleet of vehicles. The total cost of the renovation is estimated at $2.12 million, with a substantial portion of the funding, $1.69 million, coming from the Federal Transit Administration. 
  
The MTA says the renovations will allow the agency to continue to grow and enhance its network, ultimately benefiting both residents and visitors throughout the region. The agency notes that as more residents rely on public transportation for daily commutes and other needs, the MTA’s upgraded facilities will help to provide the necessary infrastructure to keep pace with the region's evolving transportation demands. The agency notes that this investment in public transit is part of a broader effort by the multimodal division to improve transportation access throughout the Appalachian region of West Virginia, where public transit options are vital for connecting remote areas to larger urban centers. With this project, MTA is working to provide more efficient, affordable and sustainable transportation for all.  

The timeline for completion of the headquarters is fall 2025.