Formerly | 9 Town Transit, Middletown Area Transit |
---|---|
Parent | Estuary Transit District |
Founded | May 1981 (9 Town Transit) July 2022 (merger) |
Headquarters | 91 N Main St, Middletown, Connecticut |
Service area | Lower Connecticut River Valley |
Service type | Local bus Dial-A-Ride XtraMile Microtransit ADA Paratransit |
Routes | 12 |
Hubs | Old Saybrook station Middletown Bus Terminal |
Operator | Estuary Transit District, managed by First Transit |
Website | Official website |
Estuary Transit District, doing business as River Valley Transit, is the public transit provider for the Lower Connecticut River Valley region. ETD provides bus service through in the municipalities of Chester, Clinton, Durham, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Killingworth, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, Westbrook, Middlefield, Middletown, and Madison. It was formed in 2022 by the merger of the Estuary Transit District (dba 9 Town Transit) and Middletown Area Transit.
The Estuary Transit District was founded in 1981 and operated 9 Town Transit bus service in the Old Saybrook area. XtraMile microtransit service in the Old Saybrook area began in 2019. [1] Middletown Area Transit merged into the Estuary Transit District on July 1, 2022. [2] [3] XtraMile service was added in Middletown later in 2022. [4] On March 27, 2023, the system was rebranded as River Valley Transit, replacing the old 9 Town Transit and Middletown Area Transit names. [5] In May 2024, two additional microtransit service zones were added. [6]
Fixed-route bus services are divided into two divisions: Shoreline (formerly 9 Town Transit) and Middletown (formerly Middletown Area Transit). The Shoreline division hub is Old Saybrook station; the Middletown hub is the Middletown bus terminal. [7]
RVT operates four microtransit services branded as XtraMile. [8] RVT also operates paratransit services in portions of the Shoreline and Middletown divisions, and dial-a-ride services with a higher fare but no age/disability requirement through the whole service area. [9] [10]
Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The name is a transfer from Chester, in England.
Deep River is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 4,415 at the 2020 census. The town center is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). Deep River is part of what the locals call the "Tri-town Area", made up of the towns of Deep River, Chester, and Essex.
Killingworth is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 6,174 at the 2020 United States Census.
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, and the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.
Westbrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 6,769 at the 2020 census. The town center is classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP).
Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 17,691 at the 2020 census.
Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 2,352 at the 2020 census. Lyme is the eponym of Lyme disease.
Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, bounded on the west by the Connecticut River, on the south by the Long Island Sound, on the east by the town of East Lyme, and on the north by the town of Lyme. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region.
Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is 16 miles south of Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settlers as a town under its original Native American name, Mattabeseck, after the local Wangunk village of the same name. They were among many tribes along the Atlantic coast who spoke Algonquian languages. The colonists renamed the settlement in 1653.
The Lower Connecticut River Valley is a region of the state of Connecticut around the juncture where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound. It includes towns in Middlesex County and the western edge of New London County. It is located in the southeastern-central part of the state and includes the seventeen towns of Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland and Westbrook.
Connecticut's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district includes all of New London County, Tolland County, and Windham County, along with parts of Hartford, Middlesex, and New Haven counties. Principal cities include Enfield, Norwich, New London, and Groton.
Route 9 is a 40.89-mile-long (65.81 km) expressway beginning in Old Saybrook and ending at I-84 near the Farmington–West Hartford town line. It connects the Eastern Coastline of the state along with the Lower Connecticut River Valley to Hartford and the Capital Region.
CT Transit is a public transportation bus system serving many metropolitan areas and their surrounding suburbs in the state of Connecticut. CT Transit is a division of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, although it contracts a number of private companies for most of its operations. CT Transit began operations in 1976 as Connecticut Transit after the Connecticut DOT's acquisition of the Connecticut Company. Initially serving only the Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford areas, CT Transit's service now extends throughout much of Connecticut. CT Transit provides local "city bus" service in Bristol, Hartford, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, Stamford, Wallingford and Waterbury in addition to a number of express routes connecting to outlying suburbs and other regions of the state.
Route 154 is a state highway in Connecticut running for 28.24 miles (45.45 km). It serves as one of the main thoroughfares in the town of Old Saybrook, intersecting twice with U.S. Route 1. North of I-95, Route 154 runs parallel to Route 9, along to the west bank of the Connecticut River. The route ends in Middletown at Route 9.
Middletown Adult Education (MAE), located in Middletown, Connecticut, provides academic programs, Even Start Program, family education, job training, workplace education, enrichment classes, counseling, and assessment services.
The Valley Railroad, operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a heritage railroad based in Connecticut on tracks of the Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was founded in 1868. The company began operations in 1971 between Deep River and Essex, and has since reopened additional parts of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad line. It operates the Essex Steam Train and the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.
The Shore Line Electric Railway was a trolley line along the southern coastline of Connecticut, running between New Haven and Old Saybrook with additional branches to Chester and Stony Creek. Unlike most trolley lines in New England, the Shore Line Electric was a true interurban, running large railway-style cars largely on a private right-of-way rather than on public streets. Though its main line was in operation for only 15 nonconsecutive years, the Shore Line Electric briefly acquired a substantial network of trolley lines stretching across eastern Connecticut, including the Norwich and Westerly Railway, the Groton and Stonington Street Railway, and several lines of the Connecticut Company. Most of the trolley line no longer is extant, however, the Shore Line Electric Railway Power House still stands along the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook.
Connecticut's 33rd State Senate district elects one member of the Connecticut State Senate. It consists of the towns of Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook (part), Portland, Westbrook. It is currently represented by Democrat Norman Needleman.
The Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is a planning region and county-equivalent in Connecticut. It is served by the coterminous Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG). In 2022, planning regions were approved to replace Connecticut's counties as county-equivalents for statistical purposes, with full implementation occurring by 2024.
Media related to Estuary Transit District at Wikimedia Commons