Thurs., Oct. 30 – Wed., Nov. 5
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE SUSPENDED SATURDAY AND TUESDAY
Ghostly gridlock alert in Lower Manhattan! The Village Halloween Parade returns Friday night and traffic gets spooky. This year’s parade will be bigger and better than ever, closing Sixth Ave. between Canal and 18th Sts., Dominick St. between Varick St. and Sixth Ave., Sullivan St. between Broome and Spring Sts., Broome and Spring Sts. between Sullivan and Varick Sts., and 16th,17th, 18th Sts. between Fifth and Seventh Aves. 6 p.m. to midnight.
The New York City Marathon is also back in full force this year, meaning traffic slowdowns across the five boroughs. Count your lucky stars in Lower Manhattan; street closures are not taking place below Central Park, although there are always traffic ripple effects of the Marathon closures. Even without closures Downtown we will see more traffic at the Holland Tunnel as drivers use it to avoid the Verrazano Bridge.
All day Sunday, streets and bridges will be closed, including First Ave. between 63rd and 135th Sts., Fifth Ave. between 120th and 90th Sts., the lower level of the Queensboro Bridge, the Willis and Madison Ave. bridges, the Verrazano Bridge, and Fourth Ave. in Brooklyn. Don’t even THINK of driving across the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges and using local streets; the marathon runs just a few blocks east of the bridges. To make sure you avoid major marathon gridlock, check out the full course map .
The Giants play the Colts 8:30 p.m. Monday at MetLife Stadium. This means fan traffic to and from the game will clog up the Lincoln Tunnel, sending drivers down to the Holland. Expect slowdowns before and after the game.
From the mailbag:
Dear Transit Sam,
I’m going to a wedding reception in Tribeca on the day of the N.Y.C. marathon. I have to be there by2:30 p.m. and I am traveling from Westchester. I was planning on getting there by going down the West Side Highway. Will it be open on that day? How much additional time should I leave to account for the marathon traffic?
Maureen, Westchester
Dear Maureen,
Yes, the West Side Highway will be open but that’s where you’ll find lots of other drivers as well because the East Side (although not the F.D.R.) will have closures on First and Fifth Aves. Many people don’t want to go anywhere near the East Side or F.D.R. (in case there’s a traffic jam- no outlet) on Marathon Sunday. I’d leave an extra half-hour of travel time to play it safe.
Transit Sam
