The N.C. State Fair is the cause of a temporary detour for the Carter-Finley route of the Wolfline bus until the last day of the fair.

According to Transportation officials, if the normal route was used during the State Fair, the Carter-Finley route buses would be so far off schedule, it would be impossible for students to use the timetables.  The State Fair causes major traffic problems on Blue Ridge Road, State Fair Road and Hillsborough Street.

Kim Paylor, transit manager of Campus Transportation, said there are detours for inbound and outbound of Route 6.

According to Paylor, the Centennial Biomedical Campus will not be served during the State Fair.  There is a temporary stop at the corner of Westchase and Blue Ridge Road. 

“The outbound route, which Meredith College students frequently use for Route 6, will not be served at the front gate of the college but at Faircloth Avenue near Clark Avenue. Meredith students may also opt to ride Route 4 Westgrove, which is an inbound trip to N.C. State Campus only,” Paylor said.

Without the detours and temporary stops, the actual timings and the tracker would not be the same, or anywhere near it, according to Paylor.  The traffic associated with the State Fair would be the cause of the late buses.

“It was important to have this detour. Otherwise, there would have been no synchronization between the Wolfline tracker and the actual timings, mainly due to the traffic snarls on the original Carter-Finley route,” Paylor said.

Christine Klein, public communication specialist with the Department of Transportation, said there will also be traffic problems for the Hillsborough Street routes during the State Fair.

“Although there are no detours for any of the 6 routes that pass through Hillsborough Street, traffic jams may be a problem due to the Fair. I advise students using these routes to check the Transloc tracker system for the exact status of the bus,” Klein said.

According to Klein, there are two logical options for students wishing to take a bus to the State Fair. 

“There are special CAT State Fair shuttles from the Hillsborough Street which cost a nominal charge,” Klein said.

However, GoPass will not work for the shuttle buses to the State Fair, according to Klein.  There is an option for students to ride a Wolfline bus to the State Fair as well. 

 ”However, students can take the Route 6 and get off at the Westchase-Blue Ridge bus stop. The distance from the stop to the State Fair is walkable,” Klein said.

The normal route will resume on Tuesday.

For more information about the detour, Klein said she recommends students visit the University’s Transportation website.