CTA personnel, volunteers and signage will be abundant throughout the Loop to assist riders for the July 3 fireworks at Grant Park and for the July 4 fireworks at Navy Pier. July 3 is traditionally CTA's busiest night of the year as many attending the fireworks opt for public transit as the most convenient way to get to and from the Loop. Additional train and bus service for routes serving Grant Park and Navy Pier will operate on July 3 and 4 to meet rider demand. To help minimize traffic congestion along Michigan Avenue, some of CTA’s bus boarding locations for customers in the Loop following the fireworks on July 3 are different from previous years. In general, customers leaving the Loop can board northbound buses along LaSalle, southbound buses along Clark and westbound buses along Madison. These boarding locations were used for the Grant Park rally on election night and found to be effective at getting crowds out of the Loop quickly and efficiently, and helped reduce traffic congestion in the area. Hundreds of staff have volunteered to work at busy Loop and Navy Pier locations to supplement on-duty employees and help customers navigate the rail system and locate bus boarding areas following the fireworks. A series of large directional signs will be posted in the Loop, South Loop and at Navy Pier to direct customers to boarding locations for buses and trains. The signs will be posted along main corridors between fireworks viewing areas, bus/rail boarding areas and at decision points such as street corners. In addition, large banners will be installed over the street on 'L' stations on Wabash Avenue, facing east, providing directions to customers looking for elevated and subway rail lines and bus boarding locations. A map and directions with boarding information are also available on CTA's Web site for customers to print out and take with them to use as a guide. For specific route information and CTA Park & Ride locations, customers can visit CTA’s Web site at www.transitchicago.com, or call 1-888-YOUR-CTA or the RTA Travel Information Center at 836-7000 from any local area code.
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