Dates: Thursday, December 22 – Wednesday, December 28
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES SUSPENDED MONDAY IN OBSERVANCE OF CHRISTMAS DAY
Gridlock Alert for Thursday and Friday! Transit Sam is estimating a million cars heading to Manhattan on both days with Friday being the worst. Friday is a big getaway day and metro airports are predicting it to be the heaviest day of the year for fliers. Downtowners should allow an extra 45 minutes (one hour for LGA) to deal with traffic to the airports. Mid-afternoon through the evening will be the worst times to travel.
The AAA announced that holiday travel volumes will be higher than ever this holiday season, and more than 90 percent will drive to their destinations, with the highest volumes beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Approaches to all bridges and tunnels will be jammed including Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg bridges, as well as the Battery and Holland tunnels.
Note that on Thursday, the Holland will close from midnight to 5:30 a.m. Manhattan-bound.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, the Brooklyn-bound right lane of the Manhattan Bridge upper roadway will close, causing delays along Canal St. and Bowery.
NJ Transit will offer “getaway service” Friday, running on a weekday schedule with some early “getaway” trains beginning at 1 p.m. Stores will get busy once again on Monday for Boxing Day, though PATH, most NJ Transit, and subway lines will run on Saturday schedules. That day, NJ Transit will offer extra trains at peak hours. all MTA trains and buses will run on Sunday schedules.
Public schools break for winter vacation on Friday, continuing through the end of the month. Look out for the kids — they’ll be out-and-about until after New Year’s Day.
2017 Gridlock calendar alert! We all strive for perfection, but even Gridlock Sam’s calendars aren’t immune to error. Note that both event and ASP dates are correct, but there are two errors in the monthly captions. In March, Daylight Savings crash alert is from March 12th-18th, not March 10th-14th. In November, the Rockefeller Tree lighting pedestrian/gridlock alert is November 29th, not on December 29th.
Get the 2017 Gridlock Sam Parking Calendar, it’s free! It’s available for download, as well as in print at www.gridlocksam.com for just a shipping and handling fee. For $4, one calendar; for $5, five; and for $6, 10. payable via PayPal or check: Gridlock Sam, 322 Eighth Ave., Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10001.
