Federal grant provides weekend TARC route for Louisville Loop, other parks

The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) will launch a new weekend route this spring to get more people to enjoy walking and biking along the Louisville Loop. The new service is funded through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work federal grant the city of Louisville received last March to further the work of the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement.


Two TARC buses equipped to hold six bicycles, four more than regular buses - will travel in a loop on weekends through a dozen neighborhoods, with stops accessing the Louisville Loop and several parks, under the plans.

The weekend route extends from Smoketown and Phoenix Hill on the east to Shawnee and Chickasaw on the west. It travels near the waterfront on the north, through Portland, circling south through Park Hill, Algonquin, Park DuValle and Chickasaw neighborhoods.

With grant funds, TARC also will provide several new weekend trips to Riverview Park on the Louisville Loop in southwest Jefferson County, using regular buses on Route #63-Crums Lane, with park access using Greenwood Road.

The service is scheduled to begin in mid-May and will last for up to a year with $313,000 in grant funds. Regular bus fare of $1.50 will be charged and bus-fare passes will be accepted.

“TARC is excited about providing this service and helping achieve the goal of a healthier Louisville. The planned route and additional space for bikes on board will give people more opportunities to develop healthy habits and enjoy our parks,” said J. Barry Barker, executive director of TARC.

TARC invites public comments about the planned service through March 18 and has scheduled two public open houses:

Tuesday, March 8: 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at The Nia Center, 2900 W. Broadway,
Louisville, KY 40211.

Comments can also be sent to TARC by clicking “Contact Us” on the TARC website – www.ridetarc.org - or by calling 561-5112. The mailing address is TARC, Union Station, 1000 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY 40203.

The 40-foot buses on the new weekend route will be equipped with bike racks on the inside for four additional bikes and will remain accessible for one wheelchair. The buses will feature a wrap-bus design on the outside to draw attention to the service and to promote healthy lifestyles. Schedules and other information will be developed and widely circulated when details of the route plans are final.

The route will provide access to Shawnee, Chickasaw, Lannan and Waterfront parks and the Louisville Loop, which is completed from downtown to Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing. The route intersects with 22 regular TARC routes and includes connections to Route #63-Crums Lane for travel to Riverview Park. Connections are at Seventh and Hill streets and Sixth or Fifth Streets and Jefferson Street. Regular buses that can accommodate two bikes will travel Route #63, under the plans.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations, including the provision for information in an alternative format, will be provided at the public meetings for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. Language translators will also be provided upon request. Call 561-5112 or 561-5115 with specific information on your needs.

I-65, I-71 Ramp Closures Tonight

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 5 Office has announced evening work at various locations on the interstate system in Jefferson County. Shoulder closures will be utilized to perform guard repairs at the following locations tonight 6:30 p.m. and midnight:


• Southbound Interstate 71 at Interstate 64 exit
• Northbound Interstate 65 at the exit to the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center
• Southbound Interstate 65 at Jefferson Street exit
• Northbound Interstate 65 at Muhammad Ali Boulevard exit (EXIT RAMP WILL BE CLOSED FOR A SHORT DURATION)

The actual starting date and duration of this work may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen delays occur. Dial 511 or log on to 511.ky.gov for the latest in traffic and travel information in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Seeks Votes On PSA Contest For Teens

Distracted driving is threatening the lives – and taking lives – of young drivers. To raise awareness of the danger, the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) sponsored a video Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest for public and private high schools throughout the state.


“This is the first year we sponsored a PSA contest and our office was pleased with the submittals,” said KOHS Director Boyd Sigler. “But we need your help to choose the winner. By getting the public involved in the process, we hope to save even more lives.”

Of the 17 submittals, a panel of judges selected three top contenders. The three PSAs are currently on the KOHS website http://highwaysafety.ky.gov/psa_video_contest.asp for public viewing and voting. Voting will be open until noon on Friday, Feb. 18. The winner will be chosen on the basis of public online and internal Transportation Cabinet voting results.

Students were invited to create scripts for 30-second PSAs focused on distracted driving risks and/or prevention strategies. The KOHS will host a press event at the winning school and the winners will be recognized at the Kentucky Lifesavers Conference at the Galt House in Louisville on April 26. The winning PSA will air at the Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16 basketball tournaments in March and during the KOHS statewide distracted driving campaign through broadcast agreements with Big Blue Sports Marketing and WAZOO Sports Network.

KIPDA committee elects new leadership

The Transportation Technical Coordinating Committee (TTCC) has announced its 2011 chairman and vice-chairman.


The committee elected Jim Urban, Oldham County Director of Planning and Development Services, as their chairman. Urban has previously served as the committee’s vice-chairman in 1997 and 1998 and as its chairman in 1999 and 2000.

In addition, the committee elected Tom Clevidence, Town of Clarksville’s Town Engineer, as the vice-chairman. He has served as the TTCC chairman in 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007 and as the vice-chairman in 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005.

The committee is comprised of technical staff members such as public works engineers and land use planners for area agencies as well as other interests as designated by the TPC. The role of the TTCC is to provide technical advice to and assist the Transportation Policy Committee (TPC) in carrying out the responsibilities of the Louisville (KY-IN) Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The committee meets the second Wednesday of every month at 1 p.m. and meetings are open to the public. The agenda includes a public comment period.

For more information on the meetings, go to www.kipda.org or call Josh Suiter, Community Outreach Specialist, at (502) 266-6084.

TARC makes changes to area routes

The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) has announced changes are beginning Feb. 13 including a bus stopping every 15 minutes at all stops on major sections of Routes #18 and #23 from 6 a.m.- 9 p.m. on weekdays.

Maps and schedules reflecting the upcoming changes are available at http://www.ridetarc.org/SpecialEvents.asp?ArticleID=459. Paper copies are available at the TARC offices, 1000 W. Broadway.

A federal grant is covering the additional service on the two routes, which serve a huge part of Louisville Metro and carry 20 percent of TARC's ridership.  The 15-minute service on #18 extends from Dixie Highway at Bethany Lane to Preston Highway at Fern Valley Road, connecting downtown on Market Street (eastbound) and Jefferson Street (westbound). Route #23 service is on Broadway, from Southwestern Parkway, to Baxter Avenue and then on Bardstown Road to Taylorsville Road. Weekend service on those routes will also improve with bus arrivals every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Other changes include:

• Route #18 will be rerouted to serve the east side of the University of Louisville's Belknap campus. Route #2 will be rerouted to cover about a mile of Preston Highway that will no longer be part of the #18 route.

• Additional connections linking downtown, South Louisville, the University of Louisville's Belknap campus and the Louisville Medical Center include rerouting of Route #4 to include a loop around the Louisville Medical Center.

• Routes #43 and #27 will be extended in the Portland neighborhood to serve a Kroger on 35th Street near Bank Street. There will no longer be a stop at the Portland Loop on Portland Avenue at 32nd Street.