Transit Sam: When street parking and surveillance collide: a trickster, no not Snowden, installed this unofficial sign at Mercer and Prince Sts. Still, I’d think twice before parking illegally on Mercer. Anyone with more history on this sign, please write me.
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING IS SUSPENDED THURSDAY FOR THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
NFL pre-season action at the New Met Life Stadium means more traffic congestion for Lower Manhattan. The Jets play Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. while the Giants play Sunday at 7 p.m. While the Lincoln Tunnel picks up much of the traffic, the old domino theory means as that jams up, more people head to the Holland. Hardest hit will be Downtown, from 7th Ave. into Varick St.
Brooklyn Bridge Alert! A 29-hour closure of all the Manhattan-bound lanes from 12:01 a.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday will make for heavier traffic at the inbound Battery Tunnel and Manhattan Bridge, and on West and Canal Sts., respectively. A 36-hour closure of the inbound Brooklyn Bridge 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 24 through 12 p.m. noon Sunday, August 25 means the whole thing will repeat next weekend.
This Saturday is the last Summer Streets event, closing Centre St. between the Brooklyn Bridge and Foley Square, and Lafayette St. between Foley Square and Astor Pl. 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Drivers taking the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan can use the F.D.R. Drive or Park Row South exits. Several crosstown streets will remain open to cars during the event: Chambers, Reade, Worth, Canal, Broome, and Houston Sts.
A vegetarian street fair will close 13th St. between Seventh and Greenwich Aves. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Waverly Place Festival will close Waverly Pl. between Broadway and Fifth Ave. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Mulberry Street Pedestrian Mall will close Mulberry St. between Canal and Broome Sts., and Hester St. between Mott and Baxter Sts. 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through September 9.
Orchard St. will close between Canal and Division Sts. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
In Tribeca, Franklin St. will close between Hudson and Varick Sts. 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
On West St./Route 9A, one lane will close in both directions between West Thames and Vesey Sts. 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Friday.
In the Battery Park Underpass, one northbound lane will close between the F.D.R. and Route 9A 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one southbound lane will close between Route 9A and the F.D.R. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
From the mailbag:
Dear Transit Sam,
On two Fridays in the past month at 5 p.m. I tried to exit West Street at Canal St. for the Holland Tunnel, and both times the exit was blocked by a cop and traffic cones. So I have to drive up a block and circle back as part of a horrific traffic jam that takes about 45 minutes to get to the tunnel entrance.
Is the marked Holland Tunnel exit always blocked on Friday evenings? What time is it blocked? What is an alternate route to the Holland Tunnel from West St.?
Lynda, New York
Dear Lynda,
Yes, West St.’s Canal St. exit for the Holland Tunnel is nearly always closed on Friday evenings by the N.Y.P.D. Traffic officers divert cars from that exit when the tunnel gets backed up, so it will likely be blocked most rush hours, and during the weekend exodus Friday afternoons. Spring St. to Varick St. is the alternate route for northbound traffic, Watt St. for southbound traffic.
Transit Sam
Readers, email your questions to transitsam@downtownexpress.com, and subscribe to the Gridlock Sam e-Newsletter at samschwartz.com, which is now released on Fridays with all the weekend subway service changes and much more!
