With the 4th of July landing on Thursday, many New Yorkers may be planning to hit the road and cross town for a five-day getaway from the city. Between crowded streets, road closures and a new location for the Macy’s fireworks display, getting around the metro area is sure to be hectic.
Gridlock traffic expert Sam Schwartz told Gothamist that he expects Wednesday afternoon, especially around 2 p.m., to be the worst time to travel. He’s suggesting that New Yorkers move in the morning or in the evening.
“A lot of offices are working remotely but they want everyone to be there on Wednesday, so this Wednesday could be a lot busier than people usually expect and people will be traveling,” he said.
People should also anticipate that the return of Macy’s Fireworks to the Hudson River will also change traffic patterns, Schwartz added.
“I think it’s because people are used to the fireworks being on the East River,” Schwartz said. “We won’t see that this year. It’s moving west. So if you’re coming back or if you’re traveling on the 4th of July evening, stick to the FDR car or better yet try taking the ECB and that will avoid many of the tires that are watching the fireworks.”
He said the weekend won’t be much fun either, especially if the weather is good this weekend.
Here’s what to expect if you’re traveling this week, along with some other tips from Gridlock Sam.
In the skies
Procrastinators be warned, this weekend is not one to mess around with. If your bags aren’t packed while you’re reading this, what are you doing?
According to the Port Authority, 5.5 million travelers are expected to fly or drive over the next five days, a new record for the holiday. This is a 9.6% increase compared to the same time in pre-pandemic July 2019 and a 6.1% increase compared to last year.
Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be the busiest days at nearby airports.
The agency expects more than 2.1 million passengers to travel through John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and New York Stewart International airports from Wednesday, July 3 through Sunday, July 7.
In a travel advisory posted Monday, the Port Authority encouraged air travelers to plan ahead for additional travel times and expect longer wait times to get through TSA due to higher passenger volumes and ongoing construction. Those domestic flights must arrive at least two hours in advance, while those with international flights must arrive with three hours to spare.
To encourage use of mass transit, the AirTrain JFK one-way fare will be reduced to $4.25 for passengers traveling to and from JFK, the MTA announced. You might want to take advantage of this.
In the street
If you are traveling by car, pack some extra food. AAA predicts this 4th of July will be the busiest ever on the road.
The Port Authority predicts 3.4 million vehicles will cross its bridges and tunnels during the holiday period, on top of 2019 and 2023 traffic volumes in the same period.
Schwartz said those who drive Wednesday can expect heavy traffic jams on the Belt Parkway, Van Wyck Expressway, Grand Central Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and all major bridges outside the city.
“The best time to travel would be Wednesday morning or Wednesday after eight o’clock, by then the traffic will break down,” he said. “The afternoon will be very bad starting at one or two o’clock and going until six or seven o’clock, but it really breaks down. People want to leave earlier, so by 8 o’clock, you’re usually cruising smoothly out of town.”
He added that Thursday morning is “actually a pretty good day to travel,” but avoid being in a car late Thursday afternoon on the West Side Expressway, as it will be blocked by fireworks.
“We’re going to get people, even on the George Washington Bridge, trying to see the fireworks. It’s going to be bumper-to-bumper now that the fireworks have moved to the Hudson River,” he said.
Here are the lane closures for those bridges:
George Washington Bridge:
Holland Tunnel:
- From 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 5, until 9 a.m. Saturday, July 6, the New Jersey-bound Holland Tunnel Tube will be closed for ongoing Superstorm Sandy repairs. The tube connected to New York remains open during the work.
- From 11:00 p.m. Sunday, July 7, to 5:30 a.m. Monday, July 8, the Holland Tunnel Tube connecting to New Jersey will be closed for ongoing Sandy-related repairs. The tube connected to New York remains open during the work. For more information on the repair project, click here.
- From 11pm on Sunday, July 7 until 5am on Monday, July 8, one eastbound lane will be closed.
Lincoln Tunnel:
- From 11pm on Thursday 4 July until 5am on Friday 5 July, the South Tube will be closed. New York-bound traffic on the Central Tube and New Jersey-bound traffic on the Northern Tube will not be affected.
Bayonne Bridge:
- On Thursday, July 4, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the Bayonne Bridge shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists will be closed.
Goethals Bridge:
- On Thursday, July 4, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the Goethals Bridge shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists will be closed.
Meanwhile, if you’re heading to or through Work Island (aka Manhattan), here are the road closures for the annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Celebration, according to the city’s Department of Transportation’s weekly traffic advisory.
Road closures:
- Joe DiMaggio Freeway / West Side Freeway / West Street / 12th Avenue / 11th Avenue between Spring Street and West 46th
- Clarkson Street between West Street and Greenwich Street
- Christopher Street between West Street and Greenwich Street
- Charles Street between West Street and Washington Street
- West 11th Street between West Street and Greenwich Street
- West 12th Street between West Street and Greenwich Street
- West 13th Street between West Street/11th Avenue and Washington Street
- West 15th Street between West Street/11th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- West 17th Street between West Street/11th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- West 20th Street between West Street / 11th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- West 22nd Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- West 24th Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- West 26th Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- West 29th Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- West 34th Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- West 40th Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- West 41st Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- West 44th Street between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- 11th Avenue between West 22nd Street and West 46th Street
On the rails
In its travel advisory last week, the MTA announced that the Staten Island subway, buses and rail will operate on a Saturday schedule for July 4. The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North will operate on a Sunday schedule, with off-peak fares in effect throughout the day.
The Port Authority said PATH trains will also run on the Saturday schedule this Thursday. The agency added additional trains that will run between Newark-Penn Station and the World Trade Center every 10 minutes from 5:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. and between Journal Square, Hoboken and 33 St. every 10 minutes from 3pm to 11pm.
To accommodate the expected increase in beachgoers, the MTA will run full-length Rockaway Park Shuttle trains. Additional A and F trains are scheduled to run on the tracks after the fireworks to accommodate additional passengers.
Planned signal modernization and maintenance work will continue through the holiday, meaning Brooklyn-bound A and C trains will run on the F line between West 4th Street and Jay St.-Metrotech.
Coney Island-bound F trains in Brooklyn will bypass Avenue I, Bay Pkwy, Avenue N and Avenue P to accommodate ongoing work on the Culver Line. and G trains will operate between Church Avenue and Nassau Avenue, but B94 free shuttle buses run between Nassau Avenue and Court Square In Queens, Manhattan-bound F trains are bypassing 169 St. to accommodate track maintenance at the station.