Penn Station, street closures for FIFA World Cup in NYC

NEW YORK CITY – New York City commuters, brace yourselves for massive disruptions trying to get home on Tuesday.

A World Cup match at the Meadowlands, the usual evening rush hour, a concert at Madison Square Garden, along with transit shutdowns, is prompting a severe gridlock alert from city officials.

Penn Station closures

What we know:

The most significant change impacts New Jersey Transit riders. To manage the massive crowds heading to the stadium, the NJ Transit section of Penn Station will be severely restricted on Tuesday.

The NJ Transit side of Penn Station was closed to regular riders from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Only passengers holding a valid ticket to today’s World Cup match were allowed to enter the NJ Transit concourse and purchase a ticket.

Alternate routes

What you can do:

With NJ Transit largely out of commission for everyday workers at Penn Station, commuters are urged to utilize alternative mass transit options.

• PATH trains: Available at no additional cost for displaced NJ Transit riders.
• NJ transit buses: Running out of the Port Authority bus terminal.
• LIRR: Unaffected by the World Cup crowd management.
• Amtrak: Running as usual and open to all passengers.

Street closures

Local perspective:

If you are walking or driving through Manhattan on Tuesday, be prepared for heavy detours. Several streets are completely shut down to vehicular traffic to accommodate fan zones and dedicated bus lanes heading to New Jersey.

Penn Station area closures:

• 33rd Street: Closed between 6th and 8th Avenues.
• 32nd Street: Closed between 6th and 7th Avenues.

Midtown bus corridors:

• 42nd Street: Closed from 1st to 12th Avenues to function exclusively as a bus lane for stadium-bound fans.
• 5th and 6th Avenues: Two dedicated lanes activated for buses and shuttles.

Take mass transit

What they’re saying:

Officials are urging fans not to drive to the stadium on Tuesday, pointing to the chaotic traffic jams during Saturday’s Brazil vs. Morocco match.

This past weekend, it took news crews over an hour to get from the Vince Lombardi rest stop to Secaucus, and a staggering 45 minutes to travel just two miles to the stadium entrance. Leaving was even worse, taking three hours just to clear Parking Deck A at the American Dream Mall. Rideshare apps offered no relief, with Uber and Lyft passengers waiting hours for pickups.

While Uber moved about 6,500 people on Saturday, the company has stated they cannot accommodate Tuesday’s projected demand. Alternatively, NJ Transit successfully moved 21,000 people out of the stadium in 90 minutes over the weekend and reported they had the capacity to take 20,000 more.

“This is a public transportation event first, and we’ve set it up that way. Either our bus shuttle or New Jersey Transit is going to be the fastest and most efficient way to get to the stadium,” FIFA World Cup NYNJ Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry said.