CTA bus detours for NASCAR race

CTA buses will reroute around the Loop in late June and early July for the NASCAR street race at Grant Park. (Sun-Times file)

More than a dozen CTA bus routes will detour around road closures for the upcoming NASCAR Street Race course.

The race at Grant Park is set for July 1-2, but most detours run from June 26 through July 5.

The first detours affect 15 bus routes near Grant Park around closures on Balbo Drive, Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road.

Those buses are Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, X4, 6, 7, 10, J14, 26, 28, 126, 143, 147, and some evening 148 buses.

On race weekend, 18 buses will detour around downtown. They are Nos. 3, 4, 6, 10, 12, J14, 18, 20, 22, 36, 56, 60, 62, 126, 130, 146, 147 and 151.

All buses except the No. 151 will be blocked from going their normal route through the Loop, according to the CTA.

A full map of the NASCAR layout in Grant Park. (NASCAR)

The No. 151 will detour south on Michigan Avenue to Wacker Drive, then via Clark to Adams to continue south/west over its regular route. Northbound No. 151 buses travel from Jackson to Dearborn, then from Wacker Drive to Michigan Avenue over the regular route.

The CTA recommends that bus riders transfer to downtown L stations to get through the Loop:

• Bus riders coming from the north — on the Nos. 22, 36, 146 and 147 bus routes — should transfer to the State/Lake Red Line station.
• Riders from the west — on the Nos. 20, 56, 60 and 126 routes — should take the La Salle Blue Line and Loop elevated stations.
• Bus riders coming from the south — on the Nos. 3, 4, 6, 10, J14, 18, 62, 130 and 146 — should transfer at the Roosevelt L stop to Red, Orange or Green line trains.

A reminder of major road closures for NASCAR:

• Balbo has been closed since June 19 between Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• June 25: Columbus Drive fully closes between Jackson Drive and Roosevelt Road.
• June 28: Southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive closes between Monroe and McFetridge drives; also Jackson and Monroe close between Columbus and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• June 29: Roosevelt Road fully closes between Columbus to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• June 30: Michigan Avenue fully closes between Balbo and Jackson.
• July 1: DuSable Lake Shore Drive fully closes between McFetridge and Randolph Street.