Buses that cross West University Avenue will be rerouted for Thursday's BCS National Championship Game.
Gainesville's Regional Transit System announced that it will change Route 5, Later Gator A and Later Gator C beginning at 10 p.m. to make sure buses steer clear of congested areas.
Route 5 will avoid West University Avenue between Southeast Third Street and Northwest 39th Road.
Later Gator A will travel from Rosa Parks RTS Downtown Station, head west onto Second Avenue, cross 13th Street to campus, travel through campus on Union Road, Buckman Drive and Stadium Road and return to downtown via its normal route.
Later Gator C will follow the same reroute to campus as Later Gator A before continuing through Fraternity and West Fraternity drives to the Oaks Mall. It will follow the reverse reroute to return, according to an RTS news release.
RTS planned the reroutes after a joint meeting between UF, the Gainesville Police Department, the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Gainesville Public Works Department, which includes RTS, said Theresa Harrison, an RTS spokeswoman. Officials discussed plans to prepare for the championship game's crowds.
Harrison said the goal of the reroutes is to provide reliable transportation to RTS customers and keep revelers out the way of traffic.
"This is a wonderful thing because you know we're going to win," she said. "We need to support it, but support it in the safest way possible."
Other preparations for Thursday night include blocking areas on University Avenue and First Avenue with dump trucks and greasing traffic polls with PAM cooking spray to deter climbing, said Gainesville Public Works spokeswoman Gina Hawkins.
"We definitely know that this is a good idea," she said.
Jason D'Souza, a UF industrial engineering senior, said the RTS reroutes are a good idea and won't affect his plans.
"If buses are crowded or rerouted, people can still find alternative transportation," he said.
UF sophomore Liz Guinessey said students probably won't even notice that buses are rerouted.
"Even though it's an inconvenience, it will keep us safer," she said.
