HUNTERS POINT — A section of the Long Island City waterfront will be closed to cars this July Fourth, as crowds are expected to descend on the neighborhood for the annual Macy's fireworks show.
There will be no street parking allowed between 44th Drive and 54th Avenue from Vernon Boulevard to the East River, according to the 108th Precinct, which recently peppered cars in the neighborhood with fliers announcing the plans. Blog LIC Talk first reported the restrictions.
The parking ban will be in effect for 24 hours from 12:01 a.m. on July 4 to midnight on July 5, according to the fliers, which says cars that don't comply will be towed. The area will also be closed to traffic starting at 1 p.m. on July 4.
"I don't know where I'm going to park," said Graydon Tokke, who plans to watch the fireworks from the roof of his building near Center Boulevard. "That is nonsense."
In addition to the parking ban, waterfront Hunters Point South Park will be closed to the public all day on July 4, as Macy's plans to use the green space as a "command center" for its broadcast of the fireworks.
Community Board 2 said the NYPD is expecting tens of thousands of people to head to the neighborhood to catch the show, which is being shot off from barges on the East River.
For the first time in several years, Long Island City is poised to get prime views of the display, as several of the barges will be located not far from the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.
Hunters Point resident Simone Iacopini said he will likely search for a parking spot further east, near Court Square, the day of the event.
"It's definitely an inconvenience, but what can you do?" he said.
Sheila Humen, whose daughter lives in the neighborhood, said she'll opt to take the subway from her home in Astoria to catch the fireworks to avoid the chaos of having to park nearby that day.
"I'm not going to even try it," she said, saying she doesn't mind the parking ban. "It's only once a year."
The NYPD said it will be releasing a traffic advisory about street closures closer to the holiday.
