I-26 Connector work will close two Asheville ART bus stops June 22

Two Asheville Rides Transit stops on Patton Avenue will shut down June 22, forcing eastbound riders to change where they board as Interstate 26 Connector construction reaches the Westgate Bridge area. The closures hit Stop 914 at Patton Avenue at Fed Ex and Stop 915 at Patton Avenue at Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, two stops used by riders moving through one of Asheville’s busiest west-side corridors.

The city posted closure signs at both stops June 8, giving riders two weeks to adjust before the change takes effect. For eastbound service, ART says riders can use Stop 913 at Patton Avenue at Florida Avenue or Stop 316 at Patton Avenue at Clingman Avenue instead. For people headed to work, school, medical appointments or downtown errands, that means more walking, earlier departures and a closer watch on bus timing.

The disruption follows a roadway change announced by the North Carolina Department of Transportation in April, when officials said the Patton Avenue eastbound ramp to the Patton Avenue eastbound frontage road would close as part of the I-26 Connector project. NCDOT has said that closure is permanent. The project is driving changes not just to traffic flow but to transit access on the city’s west side, where a missed stop can mean a missed connection.

That matters most for riders with limited transportation options, older adults and workers whose schedules leave little margin for delay. ART runs 18 routes from the ART Transit Station at 49 Coxe Avenue, and the standard one-way fare is $1, but a low fare does not help if a rider has to walk farther or arrive later because the closest stop is gone. The city says service-alert updates are available through its transit channels, and those alerts now carry added weight for anyone traveling along Patton Avenue.

The stop closures are one more visible effect of a larger construction program that has been in planning for decades. The I-26 Connector stretches about 7 miles, linking the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange southwest of Asheville to U.S. 19/23/70 north of the city. NCDOT and city materials put the cost at about $1.8 billion, and officials broke ground April 23. The project is expected to finish in late 2031. Asheville says it first appeared in the state Transportation Improvement Program in 1989, and the city’s transit planning work, including a draft ART network released in May, adds another layer of change for riders trying to keep up.