Transit Sam, Week of Aug. 7, 2013

ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING IS SUSPENDED WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR EID

transit sam pic — When street parking and surveillance collide: a trickster, no not Snowden, installed this unofficial sign at Mercer and Prince Sts. Still, I’d think twice before parking illegally on Mercer. Anyone with more history on this sign, please write me.

As of Friday, August 2, there is no R train service between Court St. in Brooklyn and Whitehall St. in Manhattan. On weekdays, the R will operate in two sections: Brooklyn only, and Queens and Manhattan only. On weekends and late nights, the R train will run via the Manhattan Bridge between DeKalb Ave. and Canal St., which means there will be no weekend or late night service at Whitehall St., Rector St., Cortlandt St., or City Hall (or Jay St.-MetroTech or Court St.). Take the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, or C instead.

The D.O.T.’s Summer Streets program will close Centre St. between the Brooklyn Bridge and Foley Square, and Lafayette St. between Foley Square and Astor Pl. (and Park Ave. all the way up to E 72^nd St.) 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Saturday. Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge will take the F.D.R. Drive or the Park Row South exits. The following crosstown streets will remain open to cars: Chambers, Reade, Worth, Canal, Broome, and Houston Sts. Warning: Cars will be towed from Centre, Lafayette, and Park starting at 11 p.m. Friday night. This event will repeat next Saturday, August 17.

All Manhattan-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge will close for 29 hours 12:01 a.m. Sunday through 5 a.m. Monday, as well as 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday, and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday and Tuesday. Inbound traffic will be detoured to the Battery Tunnel and the Manhattan Bridge, which means more cars on West and Canal Sts., respectively.

The University Place Festival will close University Pl. between Waverly Pl. and 14^th St. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

In the Financial District, John St. will close between Broadway and Nassau St. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, and Thames St. will close between Broadway and Trinity Pl. 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly through August 22.

Franklin St. will close between Hudson and Varick Sts. 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, as well as the following Saturday and Sunday.

Send me your traffic and transit questions: transitsam@downtownexpress.com.