Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge Staten Island-Bound Lower Level Will be Closed
Mass Transit is the Easiest and Most Sustainable Way to the Five Boro Bike Tour
Motorists Should Expect Delays and Allow for Extra Travel Time
This Sunday, May 1, New York City will host the TD Five Boro Bike Tour, a City-permitted event attracting more than 30,000 cyclists from around the region and beyond. The MTA is the best way to get to the ride safely, sustainably, and on time.
Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad
The LIRR and Metro-North is will offer plenty of service to get cyclists to the start of the tour in time, and certain stations offer free and unrestricted parking on Sundays.
Both railroads will allow bicyclists to board trains without a bicycle permit for the second day of the Bike Expo at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan on Saturday, April 30, and for the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour on Sunday, May 1. The usual restriction on the number of bicycles permitted on a train will be suspended. Both railroads recommend that cyclists use a bungee cord to secure their bike while riding on the train. Customers should carefully read signage at their station of origin to make sure that parking is free and unrestricted.
Tour participants should plan to arrive in time to ride or take the subway to Battery Park for the start of the tour event. The distance from Grand Central, Penn Station, or Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn, to Battery Park is 3 to 3.5 miles.
New York City Subway
Customers who want to take their bike onto the subway need to tap their OMNY-enabled device or swipe their MetroCard while the station agent watches, rotate the turnstile, then enter through the station service gates once they are activated by the agent. For safety’s sake, customers should carry, not roll, bikes down stairs.
At the start or finish of the tour, customers with bicycles who wish to use the subway should use the following subway stations: Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Bowling Green (Bowling Green Park entrance only), Chambers St , Chambers St , Chambers St , World Trade Center , and Cortlandt St .
Riders are asked not use the following stations as they are not well-equipped to handle large volumes of bicycles: Fulton St , Wall St , Wall St , Park Place , Rector St , and Whitehall St .
New York City Buses
Several bus routes throughout the city will be affected by street closures throughout the day. Customers should log on to http://www.mta.info and check the “Current Service Status” for updates.
Paratransit
Access-A-Ride (AAR) customers may experience delays due to street closures.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (VNB)
The Staten Island-bound lower level of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will be closed from 12:01 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 1. The Gowanus/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) westbound approach (I-278 West) to the VNB will be closed from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The upper level of the bridge will remain open in both directions throughout the event. To hear information about all the VNB TD Five Boro Bike Tour closures call 718-556-8010.
Other closings at the VNB include:
• One Brooklyn-bound lane on the Lower Level from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• The Bay Street exit from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• The 92nd Street entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound lower level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Belt Parkway entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound Lower Level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• The Lily Pond Avenue exit from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (RFK)
The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge’s southbound FDR Drive ramp will be closed from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. All southbound traffic must exit the RFK at East 125th Street.
Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (HLC)
The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel westbound Gowanus/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) exit will be closed 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Traffic exiting the HLC Tunnel in Brooklyn will be diverted to Hamilton Avenue between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and the Trinity Place exit in Manhattan will also be closed between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Motorists should expect delays and plan additional travel time or seek alternate routes. Closing times are subject to change by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and event organizers.