Gridlock Sam says, “Papal visit to NY means traffic jams of biblical proportions!

Holy-Lock! Papal visit to NY means traffic jams of “biblical proportions”

Pope+ UN General Assembly + Thursday Night Football + Yankees = Gridlock City

With the UN General Assembly, Yankees and Giants games, and Pope Francis’ first visit to the US all happening simultaneously, Gridlock Sam predicts traffic jams like we’ve never seen before. “Closing Fifth Avenue on a Thursday would normally spell huge traffic problems; add another 100,000 pedestrians to the mix on the approach streets and we will see gargantuan gridlock. But, Friday is the day I am most worried about as Pope Francis travels all around Manhattan. He caps the day off at Madison Square Garden during the evening rush hour. Penn Station below and above is always chaos on a Friday evening; this Friday pandemonium!”

Gridlock Sam’s day-by-day traffic breakdown of the Pope’s visit:

Thursday:

Pope Francis arrives at JFK at 5 p.m. He’ll then motorcade to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Ave. between 50th and 51st Sts. for evening prayers at 6:45 p.m. He ends the night at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations on 72nd between Madison and Park Aves.

Impact Zones: Vicinity of JFK Airport; FDR Drive Battery to 63rd; Fifth Ave. between 47th and 72nd Sts. and all cross streets between,; Madison Ave. between 68th and 74th Sts., 72nd St. between Fifth and Park Aves.

Friday:

Friday is the big day of the Pope’s visit. Don’t even THINK about driving!

In the morning at 8:30 a.m. Pope Francis will address the United Nations General Assembly. From there he’ll attend a multi-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at 11:30 a.m. making for major turbulence on the West Side Highway. Then at 4 p.m. he’ll take his papal motorcade up to Harlem to the Catholic school Our Lady Queen of Angels in East Harlem on 112th St. between Third and Second Aves. Complete gridlock as the Pope heads through Central Park where more than 100,000 people expected to turnout and down Central Park West 4:30 p.m. en route to Madison Square Garden;. The mass at Madison Square Garden at 6 p.m. where more than 30,000 expected which will cause rush hour pandemonium on the west side.

Impact Zones: First Ave. between 42nd and 48th Sts.; the West Side Highway, Broadway and Church south of Chambers St., Second and Third Aves. between 106th and 116th Sts., Central Park West and Columbus Ave. between Columbus Circle and 81st St., 72^nd St. between Fifth and Park Aves.

Saturday:

Pope Francis departs from JFK at 8:40 a.m. and leaves for Philadelphia.

Impact Zones: 72^nd St. between Fifth and Park Aves., FDR southbound at 63rd St., and northbound at South Ferry, vicinity of JFK Airport.