• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Contact our Team
  • In the News
  • For NYC Residents
    • NYC Free Parking Calendar 2020
    • ID NYC Card for Free Museum Admission
    • Where to Donate Goods or Volunteer

NYC on the Cheap

Get More New York City for Less Money

  • Aways
    Free
    • Best FREE Things to Do in New York City
    • FREE Museum Admission by Borough
    • FREE Museum Admission by Day of Week
    • NYC Museums With No Admission Fee Ever
    • FREE Tickets to Late Night TV Shows
    • FREE Tickets to Daytime TV Shows
  • Entertainment
    & the Arts
    • Family Fun
    • NYC Discount Tickets
    • Philadelphia Ticket Deals
    • Movies
    • NYC Free: Museum Admission by Day of Week
    • NYC Theater
  • Food & Drink
    Deals
    • Where to Eat in Times Square
    • Best Jewish delis for overstuffed sandwiches
    • All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Deals
    • Best NYC Lobster Restaurants
    • Best Happy Hours
    • Birthday Freebies: Restaurants
    • Daily Deals
  • Shopping
    in NYC
    • Ten Things for $1 in NYC
    • Scam Alert
    • Discounts for Seniors
    • Birthday Freebies: Retail Stores
    • Best Resale Shops
    • Cheapest Gas
  • Things
    to Do
    • Seasonal Events
    • Free & Cheap Weekend Events
    • NYC Historic Homes now Museums
    • Where to See Hamilton in NYC
    • NYC Theater
    • Carousels in All 5 Boros
    • 9/11 Memorial & Museum
    • Events in NYC Parks
    • Get Free Tickets to Late Night TV Shows
    • NYC Festivals
    • Getting Around
  • Family
    Fun
    • Best Musems for Kids in Manhattan
    • Carousels in all 5 Boroughs
  • Crisis
    Resources
  • Scam
    Alert
  • Getaways
    & Travel Deals
  • Free & Cheap
    Events
  • Best FREE Things to Do in NYC
  • NYC Sightseeing and Tours Discounts
  • Ticket Deals
  • Cheapest Gas Prices
  • For NYC Residents
You are here: Home / Getting Around NYC / Holiday Gridlock Alert Days 2019
← Best NYC Holiday Markets
Radio City Christmas Show Discount Tickets →

Holiday Gridlock Alert Days 2019

POSTED BY
Evelyn Kanter

gridlock alert daysEvery year, the NYC Dept. of Transportation (DOT) issues its list of holiday gridlock alert days.

Gridlock Alert days are when traffic is the busiest, especially in Midtown, especially around the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, and further uptown for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The bad news is that Gridlock Alert days are sprinkled through both November and December.

The good news is that NYC subways run 24/7, and always faster, cheaper and less frustrating than sitting in gridlock traffic.

Drivers and passengers can expect that travel through Manhattan will take three times as long as a typical day of the week. 

Street Closures around Rockefeller Center

Additionally, the streets around the Rockefeller Center tree are being closed entirely to traffic at peak visiting times, turning them into pedestrian-only walkways.

49th and 50th Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues will be open to pedestrians only during the most congested hours.

  • Monday to Thursday – closed to traffic between 2pm and Midnight
  • Friday – closed to traffic between 1pm and Midnight
  • Saturday and Sunday – closed to traffic 10am to Midnight

gridlock alert days 2019NYC Holiday Gridlock Alert Days

Select days in November and December are designated Gridlock Alert Days, as traffic volumes increase with holiday shopping and travel, as well as special event street closures.

  • Friday, November 15, 2019
  • Wednesday, November 20, 2019
  • Wednesday, November 27, 2019
  • Friday, December 6, 2019
  • Wednesday, December 11, 2019
  • Thursday, December 12, 2019
  • Friday, December 13, 2019
  • Wednesday, December 18, 2019
  • Thursday, December 19, 2019
  • Friday, December 20, 2019

Car Services

If you must travel by car and need a car service, NYC on the Cheap recommends one of these long-time NYC-based car service companies, which hire only experienced drivers who know where they are going, and there is no surge pricing or other hidden costs

Best NYC Car Services

 

Additional Gridlock Alert Information

Visit nyc.gov/gridlockalert to learn more.

Visit mta.info to check the service status of subways, buses, Metro North Railroad and Long Island Railroad.

Visit nyc.gov/bikeshare for information on bike share in NYC.

For NYC holiday street closures, visit NYPD Newsroom.

For NYC holiday parking regulations, visit the

NYCOTC 2019 free parking calendar

Parking Outside of Midtown

Driving from Queens or Long Island to Manhattan?

Consider swapping your car for the 7 Train at Citi Field.

Take advantage of low commuter parking rates at Citi Field on weekdays.

The entrance to the lot is located on Roosevelt Avenue between 126th Street and Shea Road.

Visit the Driving & Parking page on mlb.com/mets for more information

Images courtesy NYC DOT and MTA

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Posted by Evelyn Kanter on November 13, 2019 | Updated December 4, 2019 Filed Under: Christmas in NYC · Getting Around NYC Tagged With: Gridlock Alert Days· Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade· Rockefeller Center

Reader Interactions

What do you think about this? We welcome your comments. Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Get Free Email Updates

Be the first to know about NYC free and cheap events, discounts and deals by signing up for our FREE enewsletter.

Latest News Trending Now

  • Van Gogh Immersive 360-Degree Exhibit Experience Tickets Now on Sale
    Van Gogh Immersive 360-Degree Exhibit Experience Tickets Now on Sale
  • McDonald's Throwback Thursdays: 15-35 Cent Items
    McDonald's Throwback Thursdays: 15-35 Cent Items
  • Dolly Parton 75th Birthday Celebration is Online & FREE
    Dolly Parton 75th Birthday Celebration is Online & FREE
  • 101 FREE & Cheap Things to Do This Week Feb. 22-28
    101 FREE & Cheap Things to Do This Week Feb. 22-28
  • NYC Restaurant Week to Go Extended to Feb. 28
    NYC Restaurant Week to Go Extended to Feb. 28
  • How to Make Property Insurance More Affordable
    How to Make Property Insurance More Affordable
  • Free and Cheap Events Calendar
    Free and Cheap Events Calendar
  • Frick Madison Opens March 18; Tickets on sale Feb. 19
    Frick Madison Opens March 18; Tickets on sale Feb. 19
  • NYC Free Parking Calendar 2021
    NYC Free Parking Calendar 2021
  • How to Apply for SNAP Food Stamps
    How to Apply for SNAP Food Stamps

Search by Category

Footer

About NYC on the Cheap

NYC does not have to be expensive when you know where the deals and freebies are.

We’re here to help you save money on NYC restaurants, theater, museums, shopping, events and more, as we have been doing since 2010.

Get more NYC for less money with NYCOTC. That’s our motto and we’re sticking to it.

Contact us: info@nyconthecheap.com

Who We Are

Your chief guide is Evelyn Kanter, a lifelong New Yorker and award-winning professional journalist.

Evelyn Kanter is a former consumer reporter for WABC-TV Eyewitness News and WCBS Radio Newsradio 88, the author of several NYC travel guidebooks and mobile apps, and zillions of newspaper and magazine articles, including for the NY Times, NY Post, NY Daily News and New York Magazine. Nobody  can match those NYC credentials.

Disclosure

NYC on the Cheap has an affiliate relationship with several companies which offer discounts and deals on this site.  When you purchase from one of these advertiser links, we earn a small commission.

If you’d like to help keep NYCOTC in the business of helping you save money, this is a great way to do it. It’s a win-win because the direct links save you both time searching for great deals and money.

Best Seller: NYC Guidebook by Evelyn Kanter

100 Things to do in NYC Before You Die

© 2021 NYC on the Cheap. Living On The Cheap® and On the Cheap® are registered trademarks owned by Living On The Cheap Inc. Site design by Five J's Design.
All the stories on our site are protected by copyright and any unauthorized copying is strictly prohibited. Plus, it is just not nice.

Email subscription form header
Subscribe for free to NYC on the Cheap and never miss a free event or discount deal.
Our daily newsletter is the FREE. fast. and easy way to find out about New York City deals, discounts, free events, and more.
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.