Dear readers,
I’m issuing a special alert for Lower Manhattan on Thursday late afternoon through the early evening, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The United Federation of Teachers will host a demonstration to protest the Mayor’s proposed teacher cuts. Anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 teachers are expected to assemble in City Hall Park beginning around 4 p.m. Thursday. At 5 p.m., they’ll march from City Hall to Battery Park via Broadway, Liberty, Williams, Water and State Sts. into the park. One to two lanes of traffic will be closed on Broadway and Water St. with rolling closures on the smaller streets in between. The M5 Bus will be heavily impacted on Broadway, along with the M15 and M20 buses by the Battery. Drivers should avoid Broadway from Chambers St. to Battery Park and use West St. for downtown travel. Also expect heavy delays in the Brooklyn Bridge and Park Row vicinity. If you need to cross into Brooklyn, use the Manhattan or Williamsburg bridges.
Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vice President Joe Biden visits the World Trade Center site on Friday afternoon, since he’ll be in the Big Apple attending a fundraiser in East Midtown earlier in the day.
Transit Sam
Dear Transit Sam,
The NYC Department of Transportation website, on Easter weekend, said that inbound traffic to Manhattan on the Brooklyn Bridge would not be open until 9 a.m. on Easter Sunday. We thought that this was strange since Easter is a major holiday. At 7 a.m., we found out from 1010 WINS that the Brooklyn Bridge was open in both directions. Why didn’t anybody know this ahead of time? Did we miss it?
Bill, Lower Manhattan
Dear Bill,
Thanks for pointing this out so that this isn’t overlooked next time. Generally speaking, the Manhattan-bound direction of the bridge is closed 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly Sunday through Friday mornings, 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday and 12:01 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday.
However, even construction crews get holidays off. As with most construction projects, there’s usually a reprieve for major holiday weekends or religious observances, Easter being no exception! There may also be some days where crews aren’t scheduled to work. For the most up-to-date information, you should check NYC DOT’s Twitter feed where they post last minute closures, changes to construction schedules and other useful updates. The link to DOT’s twitter feed is www.twitter.com/#!/nyc_dot.
Transit Sam
Have any questions about a parking ticket, traffic rules, public transportation, street cleaning rules or more? Want to know how to get a copy of my 2011 Parking Calendar? If so, send me an e-mail at TransitSam@downtownexpress.com or write to Transit Sam, 611 Broadway, Suite 415, New York, NY 10012.
