You can drive in Manhattan, but Midtown East near the UN is largely locked up all week. All five weekdays are Gridlock Alert Days (officially Monday, September 21 to Friday, September 25), and Midtown average speeds for the week historically are under 4 mph, the slowest week of the year. The closure map is only the starting point, because motorcades close streets without notice.
The city’s transportation department has cautioned against driving into Midtown that week, but what matters is not whether you drive but whether the person behind the wheel follows the motorcades as they happen.
The UN general debate opens Tuesday, September 22nd, when motorcades will be at their peak. But barricades will be going up on First Avenue and environs on the weekend prior to the start of the General Debate, and congestion on First Avenue and other avenues could persist after the alert days are over.
East Side Closures
First Avenue is entirely closed off from 41st to 48th Streets, and East 44th to 47th Streets are closed between First and Second every day. The FDR Drive exit at East 42nd Street is blocked. Other East Side closures will be largely confined to periods when the General Assembly is in session, usually until about 9 p.m. Cars can still go north through the area via the First Avenue tunnel, and most of the FDR Drive is usually open, although parts can close for short periods while dignitaries move.
The city lists a wider area that covers everything from 34th to 60th Street, between First Avenue/UN Plaza and Third. Also East 48th from First to the FDR service road. The FDR Drive closes on a rolling basis from Whitehall Street all the way up to East 42nd Street. The finalized list typically lands only 48 to 72 hours before the Monday of the General Assembly’s meeting week. Check the city DOT weekly traffic advisory and NYPD advisories before you set out.
A Rolling Wave of Street Closures
Street closures and blockages are not limited to the UN zone. Up to 200 foreign dignitaries, plus their security details, are visiting this week, and their movements can cause a rolling wave of street closures with little warning. The delegates to the UN do not sleep there. The UN is just the office. They stay in Midtown East hotels, the Fifth Avenue hotel corridor, the Plaza at Grand Army Plaza, Times Square and Columbus Circle hotels, and at the missions on the Upper East Side. So the blocks around any of them can freeze when a head of state leaves or returns.
Heads of state will use motorcade routes between their hotels or missions to the UN. The motorcade routes are crosstown from the FDR to Seventh Avenue on 34th, 42nd, 49th, 50th, 53rd and 57th Streets. When a motorcade moves, that street will close between the FDR Drive and Seventh Avenue. Every avenue that a motorcade crosses will stop.
Seldom are all roads closed simultaneously for the whole week. Most closures will happen unpredictably on short notice. So unpredictable are they that a street like East 53rd Street can be open at 2:05 PM, a parking lot at 2:10 and open again at 2:35. Do not trust your GPS apps to show you the current freeze, as the navigation algorithms often see a big jam 15 to 30 minutes after it forms, and drivers are already in it. Also, closures outside of the traditional footprint can happen on short notice, as with a protest march. And do not be tempted to illegally park on the East Side during this week, as there are temporary parking restrictions posted.
Your Route into Midtown East
If you come from Long Island, you can take the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. It can still be slow, but it will land you just below the closed zone once you pay. But when the East Side halts, queues can spill back into the tunnel. The Queensboro Bridge, however, will drop you on Second Avenue in the East 60s, just above it.
Where you’re headed should guide your route into Midtown East. West of Lexington, head west first before turning uptown, or take the Triborough (RFK) Bridge and go down the Hudson side. East of Lexington in the 40s, you can still come up or down Third Avenue, and the final few blocks might be on foot.
Congestion toll hours coincide with most of the general assembly closures during the business day. Trips to JFK or LaGuardia need a cushion for closures, as terminals may be shut off for a VIP arrival with no warning. Friday, September 25th is the departure surge.
Frankly, if a Midtown East meeting can be a call or move to the next week, move it. It is easier not to be there than to get there and back. If you cannot avoid a trip in, the closure list tells you what the city is authorized to shut down, not when they will shut it down or when it will reopen. Watch what the motorcades are doing that hour.
