TARC Cross-River Service Returns to Normal
Upcoming construction and rising gas prices can be treated with ‘TARC therapy’
The
Sherman Minton Bridge is open again but upcoming construction on I-71 and the
Kennedy Bridge plus predictions of record-setting gas prices mean unpleasant
commutes and traffic headaches are far from over.
TARC,
which resumed its normal cross-river bus service yesterday, has five
cross-river routes and four park-and-ride lots in Southern Indiana.
As
the region’s traffic congestion issues are expected to continue, a campaign
with the theme “TARC therapy” will begin next week, reminding commuters that it’s
possible to find a “happy place” in traffic by taking a bus.
“You
can free yourself of traffic tension riding a bus. You can text, do some work,
read, relax and have some me time,” said J. Barry Barker, executive director of
TARC. “And you will be doing your part to help reduce congestion.”
With
analysts predicting record high gas prices this year, TARC offers travel savings.
Regular one-way fare is $1.50 or $2.50
for express service, longer distance trips with few stops. A monthly pass is
$42, less than the cost for a full tank of gas in many cars, and an express
route pass is $80.
Work
on I-71 between Spaghetti Junction and the Watterson Expressway is expected to
begin soon and the re-decking of the Kennedy Bridge, which will result in lane
closures, is scheduled for this summer, bringing more traffic tie-ups.
“We’re
telling folks to try to make peace with traffic. Try some TARC therapy,” Barker
said. The “TARC therapy” campaign will include radio spots during peak drive
time, billboard and bus advertising.
Cross-river TARC route update
Two
cross-river TARC routes connecting west and downtown Louisville with New Albany
– #22-Twenty-Second Street and #73x-Charlestown Road Express – are again taking
the Sherman Minton Bridge, with some arrival times at stops changing slightly.
The Charlestown Road Express (#73x) has a new stop in New Albany at State
and Elm streets for easy connections with Routes #22-Twenty-Second Street and
#72-Clarksville-New Albany, which travels only in Southern Indiana. The Charlestown
Road Express no longer travels on Oak Street to Scribner Street in New Albany. In
downtown Louisville, the route continues to travel on 5th Street,
Market Street, 3rd Street and Broadway.
Other
cross-river routes are the #65x-Southern Indiana Express, which departs from a
park-and-ride lot at the Meijer on Charlestown Road in New Albany and travels
to downtown Louisville; Route #71-Jeffersonville, linking eastern
Jeffersonville, including a park-and-ride lot at the Meijer near Allison Lane
and Indiana 62 and downtown Louisville; and #74-Jeffersonville Riverfront,
which travels between a park-and-ride lot near Interstate 65 at Ninth Street
and VFW Boulevard in Jeffersonville and downtown Louisville.
Maps, schedules, fare purchases and easy trip planning
using Google Maps are available at www.ridetarc.org. Click on the “Rider Alert – Bridge Opening” link on the homepage for more information on cross-river routes
including park and ride locations.