With July 4 falling on a Thursday, many New Yorkers may be planning to leave the city for a five-day getaway. Between crowded streets, closed roads and a new location for the Macy’s fireworks show, travel in the metro area is sure to be hectic.
Traffic expert Sam Schwartz told Gothamist that he expects Wednesday afternoon, especially around 2 p.m., to be the worst time to commute. He suggests New Yorkers commute in the morning or evening.
“A lot of offices are operating remotely but are requiring everyone to be in on Wednesday, so this Wednesday is likely to be a lot busier than people would normally expect and people will be travelling,” he said.
People should also expect the return of Macy’s fireworks on the Hudson River to change traffic patterns as well, Schwartz added.
“I think it’s because people are used to the fireworks being over the East River,” Schwartz said. “We’re not going to see that this year. It’s moving west. So if you’re coming back or traveling on the evening of July 4, stay on the FDR route or better yet, try to take the BQE and that will avoid a lot of people watching the fireworks.”
He said the end of the weekend wouldn’t be much fun either, especially if the weather is nice this weekend.
Here’s what to expect if you’re traveling this week, plus some additional tips from Gridlock Sam.
In the sky
Attention procrastinators, this weekend is not one to take lightly. If your bags aren’t already packed as you read 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 holiday record. That’s up 9.6% from the same period in July 2019, before the pandemic, and up 6.1% from 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 Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia International Airport and New York Stewart International Airport from Wednesday, July 3, through Sunday, July 7.
In a travel advisory issued Monday, the Port Authority encouraged air travelers to plan ahead for additional travel time and expect longer wait times to clear TSA due to higher passenger volumes and ongoing construction. Domestic passengers should arrive at least two hours in advance, while international passengers should arrive three hours in advance.
To encourage the use of public transportation, the fare for a single AirTrain JFK ride will be reduced to $4.25 for passengers traveling to and from JFK, the MTA announced. You might want to take advantage.
On the roads
If you’re traveling by car, pack extra snacks. AAA predicts that July 4 will be the busiest day on the road in history.
The Port Authority expects 3.4 million vehicles to pass through its bridges and tunnels during the holiday period, more than traffic volumes in 2019 and 2023 over the same period.
Schwartz said drivers Wednesday can expect heavy traffic to be backed up on the Belt Parkway, Van Wyck Expressway, Grand Central Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and all major bridges out of the city.
“The best time to travel is Wednesday morning or Wednesday after 8 o’clock, when traffic will be lighter,” he said. “In the afternoon, traffic will be pretty bad from 1 or 2 p.m. until 6 or 7 p.m., but traffic is really light. People want to leave earlier, so by 8 p.m., getting out of the city is usually a breeze.”
He added that Thursday morning is “actually a very good day to travel,” but avoid being in a car late Thursday afternoon on the West Side Highway, as it will be congested due to the fireworks.
“We’re going to attract people, even to the George Washington Bridge, who will want to see the fireworks. There will be a lot of people now that the fireworks have been moved to the Hudson River,” he said.
Here are the lane closures for these bridges:
George Washington Bridge:
Dutch Tunnel:
- From Friday, July 5 at 11:59 p.m. to Saturday, July 6 at 9 a.m., the Holland Tunnel Tube to New Jersey will be closed due to ongoing repairs following Superstorm Sandy. The Tube to New York will remain open during the repairs.
- From Sunday, July 7 at 11 p.m. through Monday, July 8 at 5:30 a.m., the Holland Tunnel Tube to New Jersey will be closed for repairs related to Sandy. The Tube to New York will remain open during the repairs. For more information on the repair project, click here.
- From Sunday, July 7 at 11 p.m. to Monday, July 8 at 5 a.m., one eastbound lane will be closed.
Lincoln Tunnel:
- From Thursday, July 4 at 11 p.m. through Friday, July 5 at 5 a.m., the South Subway will be closed. New York-bound traffic on the Central Subway and New Jersey-bound traffic on the North Subway will not be affected.
Bayonne Bridge:
- On Thursday, July 4, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Pont de Bayonne cycle and pedestrian path will be closed.
Goethals Bridge:
- On Thursday, July 4, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Goethals Bridge cycle and pedestrian path will be closed.
Meanwhile, if you’re leaving or traveling through Work Island (aka Manhattan), here are the street closures for the annual Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration, according to the city’s Department of Transportation’s weekly traffic advisory.
Street closures:
- Joe DiMaggio Expressway / West Side Expressway / West Street / 12th Avenue / 11th Avenue between Spring Street and West 46th Street
- 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
- 15th Street West between West Street/11th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- West 17th Street between West Street/11th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- 20th Street West between West Street/11th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- 22nd Street West between West Street/12th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- 24th Street West between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- 26th Street West between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- 29th Street West between West Street/12th Avenue and 10th Avenue
- 34th Street West 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
- 44th Street West between West Street/12th Avenue and 11th Avenue
- 11th Avenue between West 22nd Street and West 46th Street
On rails
In its travel advisory last week, the MTA announced that the Staten Island subway, bus and rail system would operate on a Saturday schedule starting July 4. The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North will operate on a Sunday schedule, with off-peak fares in effect all 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 World Trade Center every 10 minutes from 5:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. and between Journal Square, Hoboken and 33rd St. every 10 minutes from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
To accommodate the expected increase in beachgoers, the MTA will run full trains on the Rockaway Park Shuttle. Additional A and F trains are expected to run on the tracks after the fireworks to accommodate the additional riders.
Planned signal upgrades and maintenance work will continue through the holidays, meaning Brooklyn-bound A and C trains will run on the F Line between West 4th Street and Jay St.-Metrotech.
In Brooklyn, F trains to Coney Island will bypass Avenue I, Bay Pkwy, Avenue N and Avenue P to accommodate ongoing work on the Culver Line. G trains will run between Church Avenue and Nassau Avenue, but free B94 shuttles run between Nassau Avenue and Court Square. In Queens, F trains to Manhattan will bypass 169th Street to accommodate track maintenance at the station.