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WNC Transportation is a new and permanent feature from Carolina Public Press offering road, public transportation, sidewalk, bike and greenway information for each of the 18 westernmost counties of North Carolina. It also includes information on road and highway planning organizations — the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) — for your county.
This resource list for Rutherford County will be updated periodically. Have a question, suggestion or update to this resource list? Please contact us at info@carolinapublicpress.org.
Public Transit
Rutherford County Transportation
294 Fairground Road
Spindale, NC 28160
Kerry Giles, transportation services director
Phone: 828-288-4505
Email: kerry.giles@rutherfordcountync.gov
Rutherford County Transportation offers the following services, some of which are on set schedules:
- Transit’s Deviated Fixed Route, known as TARC, runs through Rutherfordton, Spindale and Forest City on a set schedule. The route runs from 8 a.m. – 5:40 p.m. The set times and locations are below. The fare is $1.
- Medicaid transportation (In order to qualify to ride Rutherford County Transit, passengers must be approved for Medicaid Transportation through the Department of Social Services at 828-287-4022.)
- Employment transportation
- Free rides to food distribution centers
- $1 rides to WalMart
- Out-of-county medical transportation to Asheville/Hendersonville, Columbus, Charlotte, Durham/Chapel Hill, Gastonia, Hickory/Morganton, Kings Mountain, Mooresville, Spartanburg, Winston-Salem
Please visit http://rutherfordcountync.gov/transit for more information. Call 828-287-6141 to schedule an appointment.
Road Repairs
If the road is owned by the state of North Carolina, call the North Carolina Department of Transportation at 828-286-3433.
If the road is owned by the town of Forest City, call Forest City’s public works department at 828-245-0149.
If the road is owned by the town of Lake Lure, call 828-625-9983.
If the road is owned by the town of Rutherfordton, call 828-287-5961.
Road and Highway Planning
Isothermal Rural Planning Organization is the authority in planning transportation for the region. Call Karyl Fuller at 828-287-2281 or email her at kfuller@regionc.org to find out how you can get involved.
The NCDOT Division 13 is also involved with the planning and development of transportation projects in Rutherford County.
Tim Anderson, project engineer
Phone: 828-652-3344
Email: twanderson@ncdot.gov
Greenways
Rutherford Outdoor Coalition
Contact: Jerry Stensland
P.O. Box 1349
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
Phone: 828-447-1590
Email form is available here.
Rutherford trails information here.
Find the Rutherfordton master plan, which includes greenway information, here. [PDF]
Executive Director Angie Newsome contributed to this report.
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