HUNTSVILLE – Huntsville Transit, which held public meetings late year to hear feedback from customers and employees, is ready to unroll modifications to four routes in a bid to enhance operational efficiency and safety for riders.
In response to suggestions from the sessions, changes to routes 3, 7, 8, and 9 will go into effect today. This marks the second round of route adjustments within the past three months.
Quisha Bryant, director of Parking and Public Transit, said the public will have opportunities to offer more input in the coming months as more modifications are considered.
“Changes are designed to improve safety, on-time performance, directness of routing and increase ridership,” she said. “We appreciate all those who attend public feedback sessions and share their thoughts on how to improve our service,” she added.
Bryant added the modifications reflect Huntsville Transit’s commitment to staying responsive to the needs and preferences of the community, aiming to create a more streamlined and secure system for its riders.
The modifications are as follows:
Route 3
Route 3 will not access parking lots at Clearview Cancer Institute and the Huntsville VA Clinic off Markaview Road NW. Instead, buses will board passengers at new bus stops located (both northbound and southbound) on Markaview Road NW. Access paratransit vehicles will continue to serve these facilities door to door for individuals with disabilities.
Route 7
Service on Max Luther Drive will be discontinued. A new bus stop will be added on the northwest corner of Meridian Street at Max Luther Drive. Sidewalk access to the Madison County Health Department exists along a quarter-mile segment on Max Luther Drive. Access paratransit vehicles will continue to serve the health department facility door to door for individuals with disabilities.
Winchester Road NW will be served in both directions from Blue Spring Road to Meridian Street. The Route 7 buses will no longer travel southbound on the Parkway or serve the segment of Medaris Road, east of Norwood Circle to the Parkway. The segment of Medaris Road from Norwood Circle to Blue Spring Road will be served by new Route 8.
Route 8
Route 8 will not serve the segment of Sparkman Drive from North Parkway to Blue Spring. Instead, the realigned Route 9 will serve Sparkman Drive. The new outbound route pattern from the downtown Transfer Station will be north on Church Street, east on Pratt Avenue, north on Washington Street, west on Oakwood Avenue, north on Blue Spring Road, east on Mastin Lake Road, south on Elizabeth Street, north on Vernon Avenue, west on Mastin Lake Road, east on Medaris Road, south on Norwood Circle back to Medaris Road, south on Blue Spring Road to the Dr. Richard Showers Sr. Center. Inbound service will mirror the same streets and turns as previously described.
Access to the Department of Human Resources (DHR) will continue. Businesses on and around Mastin Lake Road and the Parkway, such as Redstone Federal Credit Union, Burger King, and Lowe’s, will not have direct service but are accessible on foot within four-tenths of a mile. Access Paratransit service remains available for disabled citizens who need door to door service.
Route 9
In the public meeting Dec. 13, passengers requested that service not be discontinued along Oakwood Avenue, the Neighborhood Walmart at Oakwood and Jordan, the Daycare on Oakwood near the Progressive Union Baptist Church and the Social Security Office on Corporate Drive. Route 9 was modified to address these concerns.
The route will now travel north and south on Washington Street, from downtown to Sparkman Drive as originally proposed. The segment of Sparkman Drive between Washington and Pulaski will also be included as originally proposed to serve the Walmart Supercenter on Sparkman as well as the North Huntsville Library.
A new service segment on Pulaski Pike between Sparkman Drive and Oakwood Avenue will be added to the route. The route segment east and west along Oakwood Avenue (including the Walmart at Oakwood Avenue and Jordan Lane) will not change. A new segment will be added southbound on Jordan Lane between Oakwood and University.
The Social Security office is accessible Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The office is closed on weekends.
The portion of the route that serves Putman, Executive Drive, Downtown Rescue Mission, Ascent Trail, and Bonnell to Sparkman will not change.
To learn more about Huntsville Transit’s services, visit huntsvilleal.gov.
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