Carmageddon, NY style and how to avoid it

This is it. Over the weekend, construction began on the inbound (east, into Bronx) side of the lower level of the George Washington Bridge (GWB). This construction is a Port Authority overhauling the half-Century old Alexander Hamilton Bridge, which was basically a bottleneck since it was built, and is the source of many a commuter headaches. This traffic is affecting the Cross Bronx (CBX) East, also known as 95 North. The westbound lanes will continue to crawl as before.

The $407 Million dollar construction project is expected to last three months, but as any Metro NY’er goes, this will likely go into the holidays. At any rate, when traffic significantly picks up again in September, it’s going to be a bigger mess. apparently shoulders are being added, so now if you have to change a tire or stall out, your chances of being run down by a gypsy cab are slightly less.

So it’s commuting day one of the construction, and so far reports are promising as the congestion is light inbound this morning. The upper level is apparently moving smoothly, and the lower level is crawling as it minimized down to one lane. I braved the ride in today, and im preparing for the worst on my ride home today.  This morning, I kissed my wife and Children goodbye, said I didn't know when i would be home, and prepared for the worst.  I am ready for a three hour ride home tonight. Its going to be hot, sticky, and full of road rage, but I wont know unless I try.

So what’s my next option? If this is as bad I think it’s going to be tonight, I am going to have to consider working from my company’s NY headquarters for the next few months, and embracing the LIRR. But here is some advice to how I think you can avoid the delays, which beat sleeping at the office. These apply mostly for commuters, but they can also work for those silly enough to try and cross the Hudson for weekend travel plans.

 

How to avoid the delays:

• Mass Transit - NJ Transit, Path and LIRR all connect within Penn station. It’s actually quite easy to hop a LIRR train, arrive in the station, walk into the NJ transit terminal in Penn, and grab a North East corridor train to your destination, where you can hop on a shuttle, and reverse. Beware though, Secaucus Junction has no parking, and the NJT journey through the Amtrak controlled tunnels coming into Penn can have you sitting for up to 30 minutes as trains are shuffled. Also, keep in mind, NJT trains inbound to Penn average 20 minutes late, so plan your schedule as if trains will be late. And then be pleasantly surprised when they are on time.


• ALWAYS TAKE THE UPPER LEVEL. While the wait at the tolls will be longer, the ride across the span and onto the CBX will be lighter overall.


• From 95, try the lower level local approach, and then hop off into the upper level tolls at the last chance exit


• Keep an eye on the Deegan – When the Deegan overflows, the lower level becomes more congested than the upper level. Pay special attention to not travel during Yankee games, as this will be gridlock.


• Alternate Routes:
  
  
  
  • Routes 9&46 off of 95 is one of my favorites, and it drops you right on the ramp to the upper level. Access it through 95 express lane. Don’t be discouraged by the building traffic on the on-ramp to the road, this is normal, and thins out quickly. Just stay in the left lane the whole way to the upper level.
  
  
  • Lincoln Tunnel / Holland Tunnel - this is actually a pretty good option for most Jersey commuters, assuming you can drive in Manhattan. Certainly expect an uptick in traffic, and pay attention to street closures. Also, don’t assume your GPS will work in the city, where it doesn’t always have line of sight to the satellites. Plan your route out ahead of time.  But during weekends, this is likely your best option. Then take the FDR if you have to go North, or hit the Mid\tTown Tunnel for Long Island.
  
  
  • The Tappan Zee - this might be tempting, but don’t do it unless it’s a weekend and you have to go North of the city.. The traffic really sucks.
  
  
  • Goethals / Verrazano – (Exit 13) if you are coming from South Jersey, this is a good option for you. Just beware the Belt parkway, one of the most notorious traffic roads in the Northeast.
  
  
  
  


• Don’t go near the bridge on Thursday night and Fridays - We know about the delays because it’s in the news. Consider the family from Virginia all packed into a minivan blindly following their GPS to the bridge, who go slowly as they try to figure what lane to be in, and accidently go into the EZ Pass lane when they have cash, etc... and multiply this by 10,000 cars. We all know Friday Afternoons are brutal on the bridges because of the weekenders. Call in Sick, work from home, telecommute from Starbucks, I don’t care, but you cant pay me enough to take this ride on a Thursday and Friday, as it will be minivans and cute-utes as far as the eye can see, with more road rage and breakdowns than you have ever seen.

Good luck, and Godspeed.