Transportation in West Virginia

Once you have relocated in the Eastern Panhandle, you must title and register your vehicles within 30 days of establishing residency. There is a 5% privilege tax based on NADA loan value plus a $5.00 title fee if appropriate. You will need proof of insurance. A safety inspection and windshield sticker must be obtained within 10 days of title and renewed yearly.

You must also apply for your West Virginia drivers license within that same 30 day period. If you hold an out-of-state license you must pass a vision test, an alcohol awareness course and a written test if you are under 21. Photo cards are issued and participation in our organ donor program is suggested. The Department of Motor Vehicles Regional office is located in Martinsburg. You may call 304-558-5356 for information on licensing.

Several important transportation arteries serve the Eastern Panhandle. Interstate 81 runs through Berkeley County connecting with Hagerstown, Maryland to the north and Winchester, Virginia to the south. Many commuters who live in the Panhandle travel on Route 340 to reach the Frederick, Maryland area and other Maryland and Washington D.C. destinations on I-70 and I-270. Route 9 runs east to west across the whole Panhandle. This major road feeds into the Leesburg and Dulles corridor in Virginia to the east and is funded to be upgraded to a four-lane, limited access highway in the future.

Several transportation options are available to residents of the Eastern Panhandle who prefer to fly to business, family or vacation destinations. Dulles International Airport is approximately 45 miles from Jefferson County, BWI 60 miles, Ronald Reagan National 65 miles. Add 10-15 miles from Berkeley County and 20-30 miles form Morgan County. The Eastern Panhandle Regional Airport in Berkeley County is a sizable facility but does not offer commercial flights. A large contingent of the Air National Guard is located there and many private, business, and government planes use this airport. Washington County Airport near Hagerstown , Maryland, provides limited commuter flights.

Savvy commuters take advantage of the MARC commuter rail service that provides two morning trains into points along the Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring corridor in Maryland, then into Union Station in Washington, D.C. Three Trains return in the evening with stops in Harper's Ferry, Duffields, and the newly renovated historic station in Martinsburg.