See the traffic changes coming to NYC during World Cup match days

Updated 2 hours ago
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Some traffic changes are coming to New York City on World Cup match days to handle the massive amount of soccer fans expected to flood the streets.

The city plans to make 42nd Street a World Cup busway and the streets around Penn Station will be closed to cars to prevent congestion.

"Whether you're heading to the stadium for a match, the park for a pick-up game or the office like any other day, our streets will work for everyone," Mayor Mamdani said in a statement.

"This plan will also help ensure the vast majority of ticketholders will be able to get to matches seamlessly by mass transit, without driving or adding excessive congestion to our streets," DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn added.

How it will work



42nd Street between First and 12th avenues will be dedicated to World Cup shuttles and MTA buses. Cars will be banned along the street for five hours before a match and three hours after. The car ban will be extended to six hours before the championship match on July 19.



West 40th Street between 8th and 11th avenues and West 41st Street between 8th and 10th avenues will also be open only to buses, allowing shuttle buses to have an express, nonstop route to the games.

The two easternmost traffic lanes along Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 59th Streets will be converted to bus-only lanes, speeding up traffic and prevent crowding around Midtown.

At Penn Station, the city will create a queue for four hours before each match, blocking off traffic at West 33rd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues and West 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

Each game day will be designated a Gridlock Alert Day.



Deliveries by trucks will also be restricted between 30th and 60th streets, from the East River to the Hudson River, for up to six hours before a match and three hours after. The restriction won't apply to smaller delivery vehicles like cars, vans and cargo bikes, and emergency or service vehicles.

More information about traffic patterns on match days can be found on the NYCDOT website.
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