New York City traffic on Wednesday is expected to see peak gridlock with President Joe Biden in town for the United Nations General Assembly. The stretch of congestion started Monday and last all week, and there's more to come after.
In total, there are 19 days expected to bring NYC to a standstill through the rest of this year. Wednesday is Day 3.
Alternate modes of transportation are advised -- like walking! or mass transit or bicycling wherever you need to go. Traffic data shows average vehicle speeds in the Midtown Central Business District during UN General Assembly week drop to under 5 mph, which compares with a slightly more robust 6 to 7 mph on a usual day.
The city always identifies its gridlock alert days around the UN General Assembly, so even though they're billed as "for 2022," the 19 days fall between this past Monday and the rest of the year. See the full list of UN street closures here.
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Mark your calendars accordingly.
List of NYC Gridlock Alert Days
- Monday, September 19, 2022
- Tuesday, September 20, 2022
- Wednesday, September 21, 2022
- Thursday, September 22, 2022
- Friday, September 23, 2022
- Wednesday, November 16, 2022
- Thursday, November 17, 2022
- Tuesday, November 22, 2022
- Wednesday, November 23, 2022
- Wednesday, November 30, 2022
- Thursday, December 1, 2022
- Friday, December 2, 2022
- Tuesday, December 6, 2022
- Wednesday, December 7, 2022
- Thursday, December 8, 2022
- Friday, December 9, 2022
- Tuesday, December 13, 2022
- Wednesday, December 14, 2022
- Thursday, December 15, 2022
One final note: If you do opt to bike, know that protected bicycle lanes in East Midtown along First and Second Avenues, which have over 7,000 daily riders, will stay open during UN General Assembly week. Cyclists along First Avenue will use the First Avenue Tunnel between East 40th and East 49th streets and remain in effect 24 hours a day next week.
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Along Second Avenue, a temporary bike lane will be in effect between East 47th and East 42nd streets each day until 9 p.m. Cyclists on both avenues will be subject to security checkpoints and occasional, unannounced traffic freezes.
