SMART Joins Blue Water Area Transportation Commission to Link Port Huron and Macomb County Bus Routes
February 26, 2008 (Macomb County) – SMART has partnered with Blue Water Area Transportation Commission (BWATC) to extend bus service from downtown Port Huron to Chesterfield Township. The new service gives travelers access to SMART routes from M-29 and I-94 in Chesterfield County.
“These new routes open up a whole new quadrant of accessibility for people who are trying to get to back and forth to jobs between Port Huron and SMART’s service area,” said Hayes W. Jones, SMART General Manager. “This new corridor get commuters from Port Huron into Macomb where there are job opportunities.”
The expanded service was made possible through a Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The grant is intended to eliminate transportation barriers to employment for low-income people.
“This is a major announcement for us,” said Jim Wilson, general manager of BWATC. “For 15-20 years we have been studying this route and wishing for it. We are very happy to finally find the funding.”
The route follows M-29 locally to 23 Mile Road and Gratiot in Chesterfield Township. From there, SMART will accept transfers to Route 560 which provides fixed route service to a variety of destinations. The outbound route goes along 23 Mile to New Baltimore or St. Joseph Medial Center and the inbound goes to Mt. Clemens, Macomb Mall, Roseville, Eastpointe or Detroit. Route 560 runs seven days a week.
Blue Water Area Transportation Commission will accept transfers from SMART passengers at no cost. Passengers can take the M-29 local route or ride the 94 Express into Port Huron.
SMART is the regional transit system in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties and services more than 1200 square miles. Recognized nationally as an innovator in community based service for its unique partnerships with 75 communities, SMART is posting record ridership with more than 12 million passengers using the service annually. For more information, go to www.smartbus.org or call Customer Information at 866-962-5515.
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