Pope Francis Visit: List Of NYC Street Closures, Mass Transit Additions & Changes
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- On Friday, Sept. 25, the pope will greet thousands of guests in a historic procession through Central Park along the West Drive. The route will head across the 72nd Street roadway and proceed south along the West Drive.
Street Closures Announced For Pope's NYC Visit
He will also address the General Assembly, host an interfaith service at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, visit a school in East Harlem and celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden.
For complete schedule of the pope's visit, click here | CBSNewYork.com pope coverage.
You can click on any of the maps below to view a larger version.
The NYPD announced the following street closures and anticipated traffic delays relating to the papal visit. People who can avoid traveling into Manhattan on those days should do so, since many street closures near those locations will result in traffic congestion and pedestrian diversions.
The use of public transportation for the duration of the visit is highly encouraged.
Thursday, September 24, Street Closures:
Beginning at approximately midnight the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 9 p.m.:
• 50th Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue
• 51st Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue
Beginning at approximately 3 a.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be closed to vehicular traffic until 6 a.m.:
• 5th Avenue from 47th Street to 55th Street.
• 48th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 49th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 50th Street from 5th Ave. to 6th Avenue (will remain closed until approx. 9 p.m.)
• 51st Street from 5th Ave. to 6th Avenue (will remain closed until approx. 9 p.m.)
• 52nd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 53rd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 54th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 55th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
Beginning at approximately 6 a.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be re-opened to vehicular traffic until 10 a.m.:
• 5th Avenue from 47th Street to 55th Street.
• 48th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 49th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 52nd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 53rd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 54th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 55th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
Please note: Crosstown traffic will be reduced to one lane of traffic
Beginning at approximately 10 a.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 9 p.m.:
• 5th Avenue from 47th Street to 55th Street.
• 48th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 49th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 50th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 51st Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 52nd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 53rd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 54th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
• 55th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue
Beginning at approximately 2 p.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 9 p.m.:
• Madison Avenue from 47th Street to 57th Street.
• On Thursday the FDR Drive will be subject to intermittent closures:
• Southbound at 63rd Street
• Northbound at South Ferry
Beginning at approximately 8 a.m. the following street in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence will be closed to vehicular traffic until Saturday, September 26th at approximately 10 a.m.:
• 72nd Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue
Beginning at approximately 3 p.m. the following street in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence will be closed to vehicular traffic until Saturday, September 26th at approximately 10 a.m.:
• 71st Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue
Please note: Trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access:
• Madison Ave. from 69th Street to 74th Street while Pope Francis is in residence
Additional intermittent closures/managed access to vehicular traffic in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence include:
• 5th Avenue to from 74th Street to 71st Street
• 70th Street from Park Avenue to 5th Avenue
• 71st Street from Park Avenue to Madison Avenue
• 72nd Street from Park Avenue to Madison Avenue
• 73rd Street from Madison Avenue to 5th Avenue
• Madison Ave. from 69th Street to 73rd Street -two western lanes closed
Beginning at approximately 10 p.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 6 a.m.:
• 71st Street from Park Ave. to 5th Avenue
• 72nd Street from Park Ave. to 5th Avenue
• 73rd Street from Park Ave. to 5th Avenue
• Madison Ave. from 70th Street to 73rd Street
Please note: Trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access:
• 5th Ave. from 74th Street to 71st Street
• Madison Ave. from 69th Street to 74th Street
Friday, September 25, Street Closures:
The following streets in the vicinity of the United Nations will continued to be closed for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to vehicular traffic:
• 1st Avenue from 42nd Street to 48th Street. The tunnel underpass from 41st Street to 48th Street will remain open for passenger cars. Trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access until the end of the day's session.
• 43rd Street from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue
• 44th Street from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue
• 45th Street from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue
• 46th Street from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue
The following will be closed to vehicular traffic beginning at approximately 5:00 a.m.:
• 42nd Street from the FDR Drive to 2nd Avenue
• 42nd Street Exit and Entrance Ramps of the FDR Drive
Please note: These areas will reopen each evening after the day's session.
Beginning at approximately midnight the following streets in the vicinity of the 9-11 Memorial will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 1 p.m.:
• Liberty Street from Trinity Place to Greenwich Street
• Cedar Street from Trinity Place to Greenwich Street
Beginning at approximately 11 a.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the 9-11 Memorial will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 1 p.m.:
• North bound on West Street from Battery Place to Murray Street
Additional intermittent closures/managed access to vehicular traffic in the vicinity of the 9-11 Memorial includes:
• South bound on West Street from Chambers Street to Albany Street
Please note: Trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access:
• South bound on West Street from Chambers Street to Albany Street
Beginning at approximately midnight the following streets in the vicinity of the Our Lady Queen of Angels School will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 6 p.m.:
• 112th Street from 2nd Avenue to 3rd Avenue
• 113th Street Cul-de-sac
Please note: Starting at approximately 3 p.m. trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access:
• 2nd Avenue between 106th Street to 116th Street
• 3rd Avenue between 106th Street to 116th Street
Beginning at approximately midnight the following streets in the vicinity of Central Park will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 7 p.m.:
• Central Park West between Columbus Circle and West 81st Street
• W 61st Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• W 62nd Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• W 63rd Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• W 64th Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• W 65th Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• W 66th Street between Central Park West and Broadway
• W 67th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 68th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 69th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 70th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 71st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 72nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 73rd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 74th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 75th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 76th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
• W 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
Beginning at approximately midnight the following streets in the vicinity of Madison Square Garden will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately midnight:
• 31st Street from 7th Avenue to 9th Avenue
• 33rd Street from 7th Avenue to 9th Avenue
Beginning at approximately noon the following streets in the vicinity of Madison Square Garden will have intermittent closures/managed access to vehicular traffic:
• 31st Street from 6th Avenue to 7th Avenue - managed access
• 32nd Street from 6th Avenue to 7th Avenue- managed access
• 33rd Street from 6th Avenue to 7th Avenue- managed access
• 7th Avenue from 30th Street to 34th Street - two western lanes closed
• 8th Avenue from 31st Street to 33rd Street – one lane only/intermittent closures
Please note: Starting at approximately noon trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access:
• 7th Avenue from 30th Street to 34th Street
• 8th Avenue from 30th Street to 34th Street
Saturday, September 26 Street Closures:
The FDR Drive will be subject to intermittent closures:
• Southbound at 63rd Street
• Northbound at South Ferry
Mass Transit Additions And Service Changes:
Metro-North Railroad Service:
MTA Metro-North Railroad will have additional trains and crews stationed in Grand Central Terminal as well as strategic outlying locations to be dispatched as necessary to provide additional capacity.
Thursday, September, 24:
Metro-North will run a normal schedule.
Friday, September, 25:
MNR will operate three additional inbound trains, leaving Poughkeepsie on the Hudson Line at 10:37 a.m.; leaving Southeast on the Harlem Line at 10:08 a.m.; and leaving Fairfield Metro on the New Haven Line at 11:00 a.m. Some earlier trains will be combined and canceled to provide crews and equipment for those trains; details on those service changes will be available at www.mta.info/mnr.
Long Island Rail Road Service:
Click Here For Complete LIRR Service Additions, Changes
Friday, September, 25:
MTA Long Island Rail Road will operate eight extra westbound trains into Penn Station on Friday, including three on the Babylon Branch leaving Babylon at 12:20 p.m., 12:43 p.m. and 1:20 p.m.; two on the Port Jefferson Branch leaving Huntington at 12:19 p.m. and 1:19 p.m.; one on the Port Jefferson Branch leaving Hicksville at 1:07 p.m.; and two on the Ronkonkoma Branch leaving Ronkonkoma at 12:40 p.m. and 1:40 p.m.
Penn Station will remain open during the Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden, which is directly above the station, but some individual staircases may be closed at times for security reasons or to manage crowd conditions. Extra eastbound trains will be on standby at Penn Station to carry people back to Long Island at the conclusion of the Papal Mass.
New York City Subway Service:
Per the MTA: The MTA New York City Subway system carries up to 6 million people on an average weekday, and will be able to accommodate additional customers attending papal events. Subway managers will be prepared to adjust train operations as necessary based on conditions in stations near those events. Additional customer service personnel will be on duty in subway stations near papal events to assist customers as they enter and leave the system.
New York City Bus Service:
The MTA New York City Bus system is planning significant service changes to bus routes that operate near the locations of papal events, in order to accommodate street closures and pedestrian restrictions. Those service changes will be posted at www.mta.info/nyct as they are finalized based on consultation with other transportation and security agencies. Customers should expect delays and changes to their customary routes, and may wish to consider using subway service as an alternative if possible.
Port Authority Bus Terminal:
The Port Authority is working closely with NJ Transit and other bus carriers to accommodate any increase in bus demand that may occur during the papal visit, and will be prepared to handle additional bus traffic at the Port Authority Bus Terminal or George Washington Bridge Bus Station. Bus travelers are urged to check with their carriers prior to September 25 about the status of service to and from the terminal.
PATH Train Service:
Friday, September, 25:
PATH will provide additional service on the Journal Square to 33rd Street and Hoboken to 33rd Street lines. PATH is coordinating with regional transportation and security agencies to continue to evaluate expected numbers of visitors beyond those with tickets to papal events and will adjust service accordingly. In addition, the entrance to the World Trade Center PATH station will remain open and passengers can continue to access the station via Vesey Street or through the West Concourse.
Customers taking the New York City Subway, Metro-North Railroad, the Long Island Rail Road or PATH trains for papal events should buy round-trip MetroCards or train tickets in advance and expect some crowding.
NJ TRANSIT Service:
Click Here For More Details ON NJT Papal Plans
Event-goers are advised to plan their trip ahead of time, purchase round-trip tickets in advance, and travel off-peak whenever possible. Customers should prepare for long wait times following the Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden. NJ TRANSIT will operate additional rail service during off-peak hours and enhance bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Special lines in Penn Station will be put in place to handle the crowds. For more information, click here.
Amtrak:
Amtrak will provide direct rail service to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia with some trains making stops in New Jersey including Newark, Metropark, Princeton Junction, Hamilton and Trenton. For more information on Amtrak service, click here.
NY Waterway:
NY Waterway is adding commuter ferry capacity to help New Jersey resident coming to New York City during the Papal visit.
Ferry service is available to West 39th Street in Manhattan from Port Imperial in Weehawken, 14th Street in Hoboken and Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken. These routes operate all day, with departures every 10 to 30 minutes. Morning and evening rush hour service is available from Edgewater in Bergen County to West 39th Street, a 13-minute crossing every 30 minutes. Morning and evening rush hour service is available from Belford/Middletown in Monmouth County to Lower Manhattan in 40 minutes and to West 39th Street in 65 minutes with departures every 30 minutes. There also is service from Hoboken Rail/Ferry Terminal and Jersey City's Paulus Hook, Liberty Harbor and Port Liberte to the World Financial Center and to Pier 11 at Wall Street.
Bridges And Tunnels:
The Port Authority's Hudson River crossings and MTA Bridges and Tunnels' nine New York City crossings will be fully staffed with toll collectors and a robust law enforcement presence to ensure a safe commute for those who choose to drive during the Pope's visit.
