Heads up, commuters and race enthusiasts: this Saturday, the streets of our city will thrum with the pulse of the Crescent City Classic, and if you’re planning to catch a bus in Jefferson Parish, you'll need to take note of some route detours. Starting at the early hour of 6 a.m., three bus routes are taking a detour to steer clear of the race, which kicks off at 8 a.m. at the Caesar’s Superdome on Poydras Street.
Specifically, the E2 Airline Drive, W2 Westbank Expressway, and W3 Lapalco bus routes will be affected. Jefferson Parish Transit announced that these buses will skip several stops that fall in the path of the runners, so if you're a regular at any of these, you'll need to find an alternative that morning. Among the missed stops, regulars at Loyola at Perdido, and Rampart at Gravier will particularly need to take heed.
On the E2 Airline Drive route, the detour means bypassing some key stops — let's talk about Loyola at Poydras, just for starters. If you’re used to hopping on or off at this junction, you've got to adjust your plans. The race has also thrown a wrench in the workings at Poydras at Lasalle (City Hall), another casualty of the event's footprint.
Not to be outdone, the runners seem to be doing an (unintentional) number on the W2 and W3 lines as well, with missed stops including Poydras at Baronne, and Poydras at St. Charles. Those looking to navigate Magazine Street will feel the ripples as stops at Capdeville, Julia, St. Joseph, and Poeyfarre will join the list of transit hiatuses. It may not be business as usual, but the detours are a small price to pay for the vibrancy that the Classic brings to our streets.
