Wolfline route six has been rerouted from Oct. 17 to Oct. 28 due to State Fair traffic. This route services those who utilize the Park & Ride services near Carter-Finley parking lot, while also doubling as a way to the fair.

According to Byron Bryant, transit manager, NCSU Transportation has to make a couple of detours throughout each year to certain routes that are affected by traffic. Since the Park & Ride is too close to the fairgrounds, it will now be relocated to the paved lot right beside the indoor football practice for the next week.

“We shift the stops from Meredith College,” Bryant said. “Those have shifted from Hillsborough Street right in front of Meredith College to Faircloth right on the side of the college grounds.”

Bryant said that although the Wolfline does not have a route directly to the fair, route six is an option for transportation close to the fair.

“It does leave about a 7 to 10 minute walk from the relocated bus stop to the closest fair gate, but that is a free option that leaves from Hillsborough Street,” Byrant said.

Byrant and Yolanda Jones, communications manager at NCSU Transportation, said that there has never been a Wolfline route specifically dedicated to the fair. Byrant said creating a route would be difficult.

“That is going to be a challenge for us,” Byrant said. “Possibly something in the future on the weekends maybe, but it is going to pretty much be impossible for us to do during the week with full Wolfline service going on.”

Jones mentioned one of the main challenges with adding a fair route is it would make it difficult for the drivers to distinguish between NC State students and those using the bus for a free ride.

“We would have to consider ridership too for operating a bus for just for NC State,” Jones said. “And how would we differentiate besides taking ID for people that randomly want to get on that bus and go for free?”

Bryant said in addition to route six being relocated, the fair traffic affects the Wolflines returning to the contractor’s home base.

“The buses are typically fine in the morning coming to campus, but for leaving campus, going back in the evening, most of them have to detour away from Hillsborough Street and use Western Boulevard back to their office space where they store the buses,” Bryant said.

Not only does the fair reroute Wolfline routes, it also affects the Red Terror services to the men’s basketball game of the season, which is on the last day of the fair.

“The first basketball game falls on the last day of the state fair, so we are having to create a detour route for that as well so we can get students back from campus to the first game,” Byrant said.

More information on routes and changes can be found on the NCSU Transportation website.