Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Traffic Gridlock Expected for Obama Visit During Rockefeller Tree Lighting

By Patrick Hedlund | November 30, 2011 8:00am | Updated on November 30, 2011 9:45am
President Barack Obama will be in Manhattan for a series of events on Weds., Nov. 30, 2011, during the same time at the annual Rockefeller Center tree lighting.
President Barack Obama will be in Manhattan for a series of events on Weds., Nov. 30, 2011, during the same time at the annual Rockefeller Center tree lighting.
View Full Caption
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

MANHATTAN — President Barack Obama’s planned visit to the city Wednesday combined with the star-studded Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting will create a perfect storm of vehicle gridlock throughout Midtown.

The Commander-in-Chief’s stop in Manhattan for a series of fundraisers will overlap with street closures stemming from the annual holiday event, which will feature live musical performances and the nationally televised tree lighting.

The lighting will result in the closure of Fifth and Sixth avenues between West 48th to 52nd streets, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Department of Transportation. West 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st and 52nd streets will also be closed between Fifth and Sixth Avenues during the same period. Additionally, the FDR Drive will be closed below 63rd Street.

Midtown streets were already lined with traffic barriers Wednesday morning.
Midtown streets were already lined with traffic barriers Wednesday morning.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

The NYPD advised drivers to avoid the areas surrounding Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. They urged visitors to the tree lighting to use mass transit and noted that backpacks and large bags will be prohibited at the event.

The situation caused traffic guru "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz to call it the "biggest gridlock alert day of the decade," adding that Obama plans to stop by the Sheraton Hotel on Seventh Avenue in Midtown — just blocks from where thousands will flock for the tree lighting, as well as a private residence on the Upper East Side.

Obama's travels throughout the city, beginning after he lands at Kennedy airport just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, and ending just after 11 p.m. will also create spontaneous "frozen zones" across Manhattan where traffic will be prohibited or limited, with potential disruptions along FDR Drive below 63rd St., all avenues east of Seventh Avenue, and all streets between 34th Street and 79th Street, Schwartz said.

Contrary to initial reports, pop sensation Justin Bieber will not be in attendance at the holiday spectacle, though a pre-recorded performance of his will air at the lighting, along with live performances by Cee Lo Green and Michael Bublé.