Dates: Thursday, August 3 – Wednesday, August 9
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT ALL WEEK
Plenty of action will cause Lower Manhattan gridlock over the coming week. Here’s what’s on deck:
On Friday, the Broad Street Summer Expo will close Liberty Street between Broadway and Church Street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Summer Streets, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, will shut down a seven-mile stretch from Lower Manhattan all the way into Midtown, making the area inaccessible to cars to make way for walkers, bikers, and runners. The route will close streets starting on Centre Street from the Brooklyn Bridge exit to the intersection of Lafayette and Reade streets, and Foley Square. From there, closures will creep up Lafayette Street, along Fourth Avenue, Union Square East, and up Park Avenue all the way to the Upper East Side (at 72nd Street). In addition to the main route, rest stops will close Spring Street between Crosby and Mulberry streets, Cleveland Place between Kenmare and Spring streets, Kenmare Street between Lafayette and Mulberry streets, and Broome Street between Lafayette and Crosby streets, and others.
The impact of this car-free fest will be wide-spread. Expect significant backups at the Brooklyn Bridge exit to Centre Street and in the Civic Center area. Hardest hit will be Broadway and Bowery, Houston and 14th streets, as well as Third and Fifth avenues.
From 10 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Monday, northbound Bowery will close between Delancey and Rivington streets. Especially on Sunday, a busy day in the area, expect heavy traffic exiting the Williamsburg Bridges and on Delancey at Houston Street.
On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Pakistan Day Parade and Fair will take over Madison Avenue between 38th and 23rd streets, and 23rd through 25th streets between Park and Madison Avenues. Diverted cars will cause slowdowns on Park Avenue South.
Football preseason approaches, with the Giants and Jets drawing thousands of fans out to MetLife Stadium, with a Giants-Steelers battle first on the agenda next Friday evening, August 11. Plan ahead to take transit, and read Transit Sam’s column next Thursday for details.
A special warning to Transit Sam readers: the first two weeks of August are among the deadliest on the roads. Traffic volumes are up and many people are vacationing here in the Big Apple. All this driving in unfamiliar territory increases crash probability with so many tourists driving around town, gawking at the buildings as they navigate city streets. Pedestrians, especially, will need to be extra-careful.
From the mailbag:
Dear readers,
You may have heard me talk about the impending arrival of autonomous vehicles on our streets. But beware, they could be good, bad, or ugly for our city. If you want to see the very best in Urban Transportation Innovation, check out my video, Next Generation Mobility.
Transit Sam
