Thurs. Dec.18 – Wed., Dec. 24 | ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT ALL WEEK | Happy holidays to all my readers! The roads are decked with major gridlock: the city announced official Gridlock Alert Days for Thursday and Friday. Traffic volumes will be higher all over the city, especially at crossings in Lower Manhattan, including the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and the Battery and Holland tunnels. Use mass transit whenever possible.
The protests across Manhattan show no sign of stopping soon. Follow me on Twitter @GridlockSam for the most up-to-date information on the next traffic-stopping demo.
Last-minute Christmas shoppers are going to be out in full force this weekend. Shopping areas throughout Lower Manhattan will be completely jammed from now through the New Year including the shopping rows along Broadway and West Broadway in Soho as well as Century 21 on Church St.
The Jets take on the Patriots 1 p.m. Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Fan traffic will make for slow going in the Lincoln Tunnel, sending drivers down to the Holland Tunnel.
School’s out! Public schools kick off their winter recess Wed., Dec.24, and return to school Mon., Jan.5. The morning commute should lighten up a bit, but will be offset by extra holiday traffic.
If you’re an early bird or a night owl crossing the East River this week, take heed: all Manhattan-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge will close 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Monday nights, as well as midnight Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday and midnight Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday. During the overnight closures, drivers will instead use the Battery Tunnel, Manhattan Bridge, or Williamsburg Bridge, meaning more cars on West, Canal, and Delancey Sts.
In the Holland Tunnel, one Manhattan-bound and one New Jersey-bound lane will close 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday.
On West St./Route 9A, one lane will be closed in both directions midnight Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday on Vestry St.
Final words of advice: Give yourself 90 minutes of extra time if you’re catching a flight — roads leading to our three airports are going to be completely snarled with traffic — and consider using transit as an alternative. Safe travels everyone!
Email your traffic, transit and parking questions to transitsam@downtownexpress.com. Gridlock Sam’s 2015 Parking Calendar is available online as a free download and through the Gridlock Sam store as a printed copy for $3 shipping and handling ($1 for each additional calendar). To access the download link, follow me on Twitter @gridlocksam, or subscribe to my newsletter at gridlocksam.com.
