GAME ON: Mamdani Transport Plan For World Cup Is Gridlock Alert On Steroids - Streetsblog New York City

A transport plan for World Cup match days expands gridlock alert measures across Midtown. On eight dates, 42nd Street is converted into a river-to-river busway, extending the earlier 14th Street busway. Sixth Avenue’s two eastern-most lanes become bus-only from 42nd Street to 59th Street, while existing Fifth Avenue bus lanes also operate. W. 40th Street and W. 41st Street are turned into bus-only blocks. Ticket-holder queuing areas are created by banning bars on parts of W. 33rd Street and W. 32nd Street. Large trucks are barred from 30th to 60th streets river to river, with smaller deliveries and vaguely defined essential providers exempt. Bus-only and restricted access begin six hours before matches and last up to three hours after, allowing only official shuttle buses, MTA buses, World Cup-branded vehicles, and emergency vehicles.

"On each of the eight match days - June 13, 16, 22, 25, 27, 30 and July 5 and 19 - the city will: Create the bus-only lane on 42nd Street, which mirrors (and extends) the successful busway on 14th Street. Dedicate the two eastern-most lanes of traffic along Sixth Avenue as bus-only lanes from 42nd Street to 59th Street. (Fifth Avenue's existing two bus lanes will also come into play.) Convert W. 40th Street between Eighth and 11th avenues and W. 41st Street between Eighth and 10th avenues into bus-only blocks."

"Ban bars on W. 33rd Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues and W. 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenue as a ticket-holder queuing area, part of a massive security operation on match days. That new transit space will begin six hours before matches and continue for up to three hours after each match ends, the city said. During those periods, only official stadium shuttle buses, MTA buses, World Cup-branded vehicles and emergency vehicles will be allowed."

"Bar large trucks between 30th and 60th streets, river to river. Smaller delivery vehicles such as cars, vans and cargo bikes are exempt. The City Hall announcement also exempted, vaguely, "essential delivery providers operating within the zone.""

"During those periods, only official stadium shuttle buses, MTA buses, World Cup-branded vehicles and emergency vehicles will be allowed. Those shuttle buses provide express service for ticketholders to and from Manhattan and the Jets-Giants stadium in New Jersey from three pickup and drop-off spots - the Port Authority, Columbus Circle and near Grand Central - before heading straight to the World Cup via the Lincoln"

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