EAST ELMHURST — Snowstorm-induced traffic jams around LaGuardia Airport forced passengers and airline staff to trudge along the highway Friday to get to their flights, and prompted buses and other traffic detours to accommodate the chaos.
All MTA buses to and from the airport — including the M60, Q70 and Q72 lines — experienced delays into the airport as traffic backed along the Grand Central Parkway, according to the MTA.
Traffic also delayed the Q33 bus, which doesn't even go to the airport.
Southbound riders between Ditmars Boulevard and 95th Street, and 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, were detoured as drivers tried to maneuver around the gridlock.
Desperate passengers trapped in cabs and cars on the standstill Grand Central Parkway got out on foot and hopped a concrete median to continue their journey to the airport on foot.
Live from @LGAairport walking on the #grandcentralparkway because it's faster than a car. #traffic #lga #news @NBCNews @ABC pic.twitter.com/kPdfuzw96p
— Melissa Furman (@melissa_furman) February 10, 2017
Traffic is so crazy at @LGAairport passengers are getting stranded on the highways. #TravelBan #LaguardiaAirport #pix11 #abcnews #foxny pic.twitter.com/mfwu07u7DA
— JaeAndMac (@jaeandmacvlog) February 10, 2017
It's just the latest round of traffic snarls for the airport, which began to experience increasing traffic backups starting in August after the Port Authority launched a multi-year reconstruction project.
Earlier this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the Port Authority had released a request for proposals to develop an AirTrain to the airport, with the aim of getting more passengers to take public transportation to LaGuardia. Part of the plan looks to put a parking lot at Willets Point.
