Press Releases

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov

NYC DOT Announces ‘Gridlock Alert’ Days, Beginning With United Nations General Assembly on September 22 and Through the Holiday Season

Agency Encourages New Yorkers To Use Alternate Forms of Transportation, Especially on These Days

Midtown Traffic Speeds Are the Slowest of the Year During the U.N. General Assembly, With Average Speeds in Midtown Under 4 Four Miles per Hour

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today released a list of Gridlock Alert Days through the end of the year, including the week of the United Nations General Assembly (September 22 to September 26). Drivers should expect extensive street closures and delays across Manhattan for the duration of next week. NYC DOT strongly encourages New Yorkers and visitors alike to use non-driving modes of transportation, especially on these days. New Yorkers can choose from a variety of available transportation options including regional rail lines, the 24/7 metropolitan subway and bus system, ferries, cycling, and walking.

“We are seeing the success of Congestion Pricing in its first year as fewer vehicles enter the city’s urban core, making it especially important to stick with transit during Gridlock Alert days,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “New York City welcomes the UN General Assembly once again this year, but New Yorkers and visitors alike should do their part in minimizing congestion and seeking non-driving modes of transportation.”

Gridlock Alert Days: NYC DOT has identified 20 Gridlock Alert Days through the end of the year – the days when traffic is expected to be at its slowest and most congested. NYC DOT traffic data shows that average motor vehicle speeds in Midtown during U.N. General Assembly week are historically their slowest of the year: less than four miles per hour, whereas Midtown traffic normally averages between four and six miles per hour. Variable Message System boards around New York City will be posted to warn motorists of expected delays. Tourist and holiday activities also contribute to heightened traffic.

Bicycle Access: Based on the success of the temporary bike lane through the tunnel for UNGA over the past five years, NYC DOT completed the permanent First Avenue Tunnel protected bike lane last Fall. This critical upgrade enhances safety for cyclists by providing a jersey barrier-protected express lane bypassing busy intersections around the United Nations headquarters and is the first tunnel in the United States to be repurposed for bike traffic while maintaining vehicle traffic. The protected bike lane also calms traffic by organizing vehicle traffic in the tunnel as well as on the street above.

NYC DOT has also worked with Lyft in recent years to expand Citi Bike to several more neighborhoods and to add docking stations to existing areas in the network, with further ongoing expansion efforts this year.

NYC DOT continues to upgrade the bus network in Manhattan to offer more enhanced modes of alternative transportation throughout the borough. The agency completed the expansion of the 96th Street crosstown bus lane in 2024, reimagining Third Avenue with bus and bike lanes, and is finishing a nearly 60-block redesign of Second Avenue's bus and bike lanes—as part of an effort to add wider bike lanes along many of Manhattan’s avenues.

2025 Gridlock Alert Days are:

  • Monday, September 22
  • Tuesday, September 23
  • Wednesday, September 24
  • Thursday, September 25
  • Friday, September 26
  • Wednesday, November 19
  • Thursday, November 20
  • Tuesday, November 25
  • Wednesday, December 3
  • Thursday, December 4
  • Friday, December 5
  • Monday, December 8
  • Tuesday, December 9
  • Wednesday, December 10
  • Thursday, December 11
  • Friday, December 12
  • Monday, December 15
  • Tuesday, December 16
  • Wednesday, December 17
  • Thursday, December 18

For more information, visit nyc.gov/gridlockalert.