Thursday to Be Traffic Mess in NYC
Thursday, Aug 11, 2011 | Updated 7:25 AM EDT
AP
Thursday is shaping up to be a "perfect storm" for terrible traffic in New York City, according to traffic expert Gridlock Sam.
Sam Schwartz says several events will conspire to make it a day to avoid driving around town.
The day begins with the funeral for former Gov. Hugh Carey at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown. Then, both the Mets and Yankees play in the early afternoon.
The Mets game is likely to let out around 3 p.m., and the Yanks will end around 4 p.m.
Then the FDR Drive below 14th Street and the West Side Highway below 34th Street are subject to traffic freezes from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. ahead of President Barack Obama's visit downtown.
Obama will stop by the Battery Park Ritz-Carlton at about 5:30 p.m., and then heads to the West Village a couple hours later.
Schwartz says the city won't be cleared of traffic-causing headaches until 10 p.m.
"I can't recall a day in which we had a governor buried, the president hopping around town and Yankees and Mets games at the same time," he said. "It's just nonstop from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with no let-up in sight."
