With thousands of people expected to attend Thunder Over Louisville this weekend, TARC is ramping up its service to meet the demand.
About 10,000 passengers are expected to take the bus during the annual fireworks extravaganza, according to the transit agency. Signs will be posted on all TARC buses and certain bus stops in the coming days to alert passengers of the changes, which are listed below.
Some trips that normally cross the Ohio River to Indiana will be rerouted or cut before, during and shortly after the event, per the agency. Routes heading into downtown will be bolstered with extra buses beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, the day of the show. After the event, residents will have boarding access at just five downtown locations.
Buses will operate until 11 p.m. in the downtown area following the event. Regular TARC fares will apply, and children under the age of 5 ride free. Some streets are also set to close for the fireworks and air show.
The Clark Memorial Bridge will close to traffic and pedestrians Thursday, April 21, to allow crews to prepare for Thunder. The bridge will remain closed until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The Big Four Bridge will also close to pedestrian traffic from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m Saturday.
Here's a list of specific TARC changes:
Detours: Routes #71-New Albany, Louisville, Jeffersonville and #72-Clarksville
The Clark Memorial Bridge will be closed to traffic Thursday, April 21, 9:30 a.m. – midnight; Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23, all day; Sunday, April 24, midnight to 2 p.m.
When the bridge is closed, buses use the following detour:
Routes #71 eastbound and #72 northbound: From Liberty, I-65 North to Court Avenue exit, right on Court to regular route.
Route #71 westbound: From Court Avenue right on Spring Street, left on 10th Street, I-65 South to Jefferson Street exit and regular route.
Route #72 southbound: From Spring Street, left on Court Avenue, left on Wall Street, left on Eighth Street, right on Spring Street, left on 10th Street, to I-65 South, Jefferson Street exit to regular route.
Post-Thunder boarding
Locations listed and on the map above are the only downtown boarding options.
Eastbound Routes
Boarding on Market, near Floyd
#15 - Market Street (to La Grange Road)
#19 - Muhammad Ali (to Oxmoor and Lyndon)
#31 – Middletown
Boarding on Liberty, near Floyd
#17 - Bardstown Road (to Fern Creek and Sebree)
#21 – Chestnut (to Bashford Avenue)
#23 – Broadway (to Jeffersontown and Breckenridge Plaza)
#40 – Taylorsville Road
#25 – Oak-Westport Crosstown
Westbound Routes
Boarding on Main west of 9th
#15 - Market Street (to Shawnee Park)
#18 – Preston (to Valley Station)
#19 - Muhammad Ali (to Park Duvall and Rockford Lane)
#21 – Chestnut (to Shawnee Park)
#23 – Broadway (to Shawnee Park)
#43 - Portland/Poplar Level (to 32nd & Portland Loop)
Southbound Routes
Boarding on 6th near Chestnut
#4 - Fourth Street (to Iroquois Park and Southland Park)
#6 - Sixth Street (via Central to Auburndale)
#63 - Crums Lane (to West Pages Lane)
Boarding on 1st at Muhammad Ali
#2 - Second Street (to Airport and UPS)
#18 – Preston (to Okolona – Outer Loop Plaza)
#43 - Portland/Poplar Level (to Fern Creek)
