Bus Routes

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - People who urged the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority to extend the bus line from Martinsburg to Hedgesville weren't on board Monday, the first day of the new service. During an early afternoon trek north, only three people rode the 23-seat bus, and all were headed for destinations within Martinsburg. The addition to the line - turning a 4-mile round trip into 10 miles - lengthened their commute. Bus driver Ralph Petrie was making the rounds for the third and final time of the day and was still relying on a printed list of stops.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Driving a car around the Waynesboro area this summer has been a challenge. So imagine driving a school bus. Or worse yet, imagine the task of coordinating several dozen school buses through construction zones and around detours. Welcome to Missie's world. Missie Baer, maintenance and transportation coordinator for the Waynesboro Area School District for the last five years, is busy this time of year as she makes sure that more than 3,300 students have rides to and from the district's schools, and St. Andrew Catholic School.

HAGERSTOWN -- More than 40 people attended a public hearing Wednesday night on the planned closure of a one-way bridge on East Oak Ridge Drive. The planned five-month closure, which county officials say is needed to repair the historic stone-arch bridge in Funkstown, has riled area residents and shop owners who have said it will cause lengthy detours and hurt merchants who depend on traffic over the bridge for their business. In addition, concerns about how school bus routes will change during the closure and the volume of heavy trucks that will cross the bridge after it reopens also were discussed at Wednesday's hearing at E. Russell Hicks Middle School.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A pilot program that will bus Washington County residents to jobs in the Hunters Green Business Center will serve two purposes, the general manager of the Petsmart Distribution Center said. It will help people find work, and potentially create a larger hiring pool for Petsmart, one of the companies that might participate in the program, Rick Domzalski said. "I'm interested (in the program) because it's going to allow potential associates to get transportation to the Hopewell Valley industrial area," Domzalski said.

Number of bus drivers (county, contract and substitutes) 254 Number of county-owned buses 137 Number of bus routes 209 Number of miles buses travel each year More than 2.7 million Number of students transported to and from schools daily 17,800

Students who live in the Shannondale area of Jefferson County, W.Va., will return home on their normal bus routes today, the county school system announced. Schools in Paw Paw, W.Va., were closed today due to icy road conditions, Morgan County schools officials announced. Other public schools in Morgan County were on two-hour delay, school officials announced. Washington County Public Schools were also on a two-hour delay, as well as the following private schools: Boonsboro Christian Academy, Gateway Christian Academy, Highland View Academy, Mt. Aetna Adventist Elementary School and St. Maria Goretti High School.

The Washington County Division of Public Works Highway Department next week will remove debris that collected around bridges when Superstorm Sandy moved through the area. The work might cause periodic delays for motorists, according to a news release from the county. Work will not start until after the morning bus routes for Washington County Public Schools have been completed. In addition, emergency vehicles will be permitted to pass through work areas. The schedule to remove debris around bridges is as follows: Monday, Nov. 5 • Roxbury Road • Manor Church Road • Keedysville Road Tuesday, Nov. 6 • Keedysville Road • Harper's Ferry Road Wednesday, Nov. 7/Thursday, Nov. 8 • Broadfording Road Only Broadfording Road will be closed during this work, but motorists should expect periodic delays on the other listed roadways.

Following is information about closures and government operations on Monday, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Washington County  Washington County government offices and services will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. All landfill sites will be closed. Public safety services will be provided as usual. County Commuter County Commuter transportation service will run its regular bus routes and provide paratransit service on Monday.

The Washington County Commissioners have authorized free bus rides on County Commuter buses on Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29 on any route. The authorization includes Paratransit passengers, but does not include Taxi vouchers. Transportation Department Director Kevin Cerrone said that the two days following Thanksgiving are among the busiest for the bus service. Routes will cover downtown Hagerstown, Valley Mall, Prime Outlets, the Centre at Hagerstown shopping center, Valley Plaza, South End shopping center, shopping areas along Dual Highway and all other locations served by the County Commuter.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Bell time changes, elementary school redistricting, changing bus routes and middle school and high school transitions could mean a Rubik's Cube of scheduling issues over the next three years in the Chambersburg Area School District, prompting the school board Wednesday night to consider delaying redistricting a year. In upcoming weeks, the district will consider whether to hire a consultant or plan the redistricting in-house. The basic outline of the plan has to take into account consolidation of elementary schools, creation of two middle schools for grades six through eight at Chambersburg Area Middle School and Faust Junior High School and moving the ninth grade from Faust into an expanded Chambersburg Area Senior High School.