03/07/00
CTA will operate its #19 United Center Express buses to the United Center from North Michigan Avenue and State Street downtown for the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Thursday, March 9, through Sunday, March 12.
Fully accessible #19 United Center Express buses will operate every 5 to 8 minutes, beginning two hours before the start of the first game, and continuing until 30 minutes before the tip-off for the last game of the day.
#19 buses will start their trips westbound on Chestnut from Mies van der Rohe Way and go west to Michigan. Southbound on Michigan, the buses will stop at Chicago and at Illinois before turning west at Wacker, where they will make another stop just west of Michigan. From there they will go west to State and south to Madison, making stops at Lake and at Washington before turning west on Madison.
Westbound on Madison, stops are made just west of State and again at Wells for riders transferring from other bus or 'L' lines. The next stop is at Clinton for Metra riders from the Ogilvie Transportation Center (North Western Station) and Union Station. A final stop is made at Halsted before the buses run express to the United Center.
#19 buses heading to the 1:30 p.m. game on Saturday, March 11, will be detoured through the downtown area for the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Dearborn. After crossing the Michigan Avenue bridge, these buses will stop on lower Wacker just west of Michigan, and then on Madison west of Wacker before resuming their regular routing on Madison.
After each game, #19 United Express buses will await riders eastbound on Madison at Wood, near Gate 3, for return trips downtown via Madison, Halsted, Washington, State and Wacker back to Michigan. Buses will stop for the Ogilvie Center and Union Station at Canal, for the Blue Line subway at Dearborn, for the Red Line at State/Randolph, and for Brown, Green, and Orange Line trains at State/Lake. Once the buses enter Michigan Avenue, they will make all stops north to Chicago.
For details about all CTA service, call 836-7000 (all local area codes).
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