Jul. 18—A free shuttle service from Anchorage’s Fairview neighborhood to Carrs and Fred Meyer grocery stores in Midtown and back will launch this weekend.
The shuttle will be offered on Saturdays and Sundays between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be available through Oct. 27.
The service was developed to help shoppers after the closure of the Carrs on Gambell Street in May.
That store closure left many in the neighborhood without reasonable walking access to a grocery store or pharmacy. Local leaders began laying plans for the shuttle after Carrs-Safeway announced the store’s closure.
The shuttle is a temporary service until the People Mover Route 11 can be realigned to connect the neighborhood to a grocery store and pharmacy, according to city officials.
The hourly route will make stops at four at existing stops in the neighborhood. They include:
—Chugach Manor/Anchorage Senior & Activity Center
—Ninth Ave. and Karluk Street (near the Fairview Recreation Center)
—13th Ave. and Eagle Street
—Cordova St. and 14th Avenue
This weekend’s shuttle will begin service in time for the neighborhood’s Fairview Block Party celebration near the Dr. Etheldra Davis Elementary School at 12th Avenue and Nelchina Street. That party runs from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
The shuttle will operate through a partnership between the Municipality, NeighborWorks Alaska and BAC Transportation, and is funded by a grant from the Municipality of Anchorage.
“This is a great short-term solution to ensure Fairview residents have access to grocery stores while we work on a long-term strategy,” Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said in a Friday statement.