ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE SUSPENDED MON., SEPT. 17 AND TUES., SEPT. 18 FOR ROSH HASHANAH
Good news for Downtowners! The ban on Hudson Street traffic entering the Holland Tunnel is over. This spells r-e-l-i-e-f for Canal Street, Broome Street and Varick Street. There will still be traffic jams, but not as bad as we’ve seen. The city tells me all lanes are now open on Hudson Street between North Moore and Laight Streets.
Schools open on Thurs., Sept. 6, so please drive extra carefully and expect turbulence the first few days by our elementary schools, as parents want to make sure all is well with their children.
Fashion week kicks off Thursday with “Fashion Night Out” — which means store events will occur all over the city, including Lower Manhattan, with fashionistas filling up stores and slowing traffic along Mercer Street, Prince Street, West Broadway and Broadway, to name a few.
In transit news, Fastrack repairs are back on the Lexington Avenue lines, which means no service in Lower Manhattan the nights of Wed., Sept. 5 and Thurs., Sept. 6. The 4,5,6 lines will be closed between Grand Central-42nd Street and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center overnight (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.).
Prepare to move over on Sun., Sept. 6, when more than 6,000 bicyclists are coming soon to your neighborhood! The NYC Century Bike Tour will bring rolling closures all across Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, including these Downtown streets (among others), from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Ninth Avenue between Broadway and Hudson Street, Bleecker Street between Hudson and Mott Streets, Mott Street between Bleecker and Hester Streets and Lafayette Street between Worth and Centre Streets. For a full list of closures, visit https://nyccentury.org.
Good news for the Holland Tunnel: the completion of a water main installation on Hudson Street between North Moore and Laight Streets means all lanes will be restored to their previous traffic patterns (as of Aug. 2012).
• Access to the Holland Tunnel from Hudson Street (at Canal Street) will be allowed.
• Westbound and Eastbound drivers on Canal Street will still be able to enter the Holland Tunnel.
Tues., Sept. 11 is World Trade Center Remembrance Day, so please be respectful and do not drive in the area.
From the mailbag:
Dear Transit Sam,
The pedestrian path across Canal Street. at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel has been blocked off for several days now by city Department of Transportation work. I find it to be a danger zone for pedestrians such as myself who regularly traverse the intersection. Do you know how long the construction work will take, or if there’s a way to make the intersection safer during the work period?
Allen, Manhattan
Dear Allen,
By the time you read this, conditions should be significantly improved although work won’t be concluded for another few weeks. When it is finished, you will find an enlarged traffic island with safer and easier crossings through this tough intersection — just in time for the restoration of the Hudson Street access to the tunnel.
Transit Sam
Confused about ever-changing traffic and parking regulations? Need driving tips to navigate around Lower Manhattan? If so, e-mail Sam Schwartz at TransitSam@downtownexpress.com or write to Transit Sam, 611 Broadway, Suite 415, New York, N.Y. 10012. Follow me at www.twitter.com/GridlockSam.
