NYC will cut off traffic during 2026 World Cup games with amped-up 'gridlock alert'

Eight 2026 World Cup matches will trigger a “gridlock alert” across Manhattan to manage an expected surge of soccer fans. The plan converts 42nd Street into an island-wide bus corridor, creates car-free areas near Penn Station, and drastically restricts truck deliveries for a 30-block stretch on game days. Delivery limits apply between 30th Street and 60th Street for six hours before each match and three hours after. Midtown business owners criticized the restrictions as excessive and said similar tourist-season crowds do not prompt delivery-hour limits. The NYC Hospitality Alliance said the city introduced the rules at the last minute, leaving restaurants and bars to scramble to adjust deliveries while trying to serve fans. City officials defended street closures near Penn Station to accommodate ticket-holder lines and said the measures are needed to minimize disruptions for New Yorkers.

"The transportation plan will convert 42nd Street into an island-wide bus corridor, create car-free spaces near Penn Station and drastically restrict truck deliveries for a 30-block stretch during game days, among other limitations."

"The restrictions - especially for deliveries, which would apply between 30th Street and 60th Street for six hours before each soccer match and three hours afterward - struck many Midtown business owners as overkill."

Read at New York Post