Best times to travel through NYC area??

KP2013dramamama

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From WI, are driving out to KP for graduation. What are the best times to drive through the NYC area to get to KP? We plan on arriving on Thursday. Thanks for helping. I've tried finding other threads on this subject, but haven't been able to.
 
Best times to be entering and leaving NYC are between the hours of 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM. This is after the morning and before the afternoon rush hours.

Of course if you are up to it, you can always drive thru from midnight to 7 AM.

Do keep in mind, with there almost always being construction somewhere, depending on when/what point you enter the city, you could get delayed even with the best of planning. Since you are traveling from the west, and KP is east of of NYC, if you enter the city at 3:30 PM, you could wind up leaving it at 4:00, which is the start of eastbound rush hour.

If someone you are traveling with can get internet access, use this link. It's quite helpful in letting you know the hot spots.

http://www.traffic.com/New-York-Traffic/New-York-Traffic-Reports.html

Congrats to you M/N!
 
You probably want to be on LI by 3:30. You also might want to check out a couple of routes to see what works best. If you're looking at I 80 to the GW Bridge, you'll be on the Cross Bronx - and we've found that there is no good time to be on the Cross Bronx.:thumbdown: However, there aren't many good alternatives coming from the west. (Now that DS is graduating, we finally figured out the best route for us.:redface:)
 
There is really no such thing as a "good" time to drive through NYC. You will most likely be stuck in either congestion or construction or both. You have limited options, the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, George Washington Bridge ... thats it unless you want to go waaaay out of your way and take the Tappan Zee.

My personal view is to just accept that it will be bad and plan on an extra two hours of travel time. Enjoy the NYC view even if it is just out of your car window.

Last time I passed through at night I ended up changing a flat tire in Washington Heights at Midnight in the rain.
 
There is really no such thing as a "good" time to drive through NYC. You will most likely be stuck in either congestion or construction or both. You have limited options, the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, George Washington Bridge ... thats it unless you want to go waaaay out of your way and take the Tappan Zee.
We're close to being local and we avoid the Tappan Zee at all costs. (My sister even had a panic attack driving across the Tappan Zee.:eek:) Coming from the north, we take the I 84 bridge to I 684 (or drive down the Taconic State Parkway), then down the parkways in Westchester and the Bronx until we reach the Throgs Neck Bridge.

Kpdramamamma, not sure how I 90 would work for you or if I 80 is a more direct route. 90 may jog too far north. If 90 works for you, though, it might be a route to consider.
 
We're close to being local and we avoid the Tappan Zee at all costs. (My sister even had a panic attack driving across the Tappan Zee.:eek:) Coming from the north, we take the I 84 bridge to I 684 (or drive down the Taconic State Parkway), then down the parkways in Westchester and the Bronx until we reach the Throgs Neck Bridge.

Kpdramamamma, not sure how I 90 would work for you or if I 80 is a more direct route. 90 may jog too far north. If 90 works for you, though, it might be a route to consider.

What's wrong with the Tappan Zee Bridge? I've lived in NEPA for the past 20 years and Tappan Zee Bridge is my preferred route down to Long Island.
 
What's wrong with the Tappan Zee Bridge? I've lived in NEPA for the past 20 years and Tappan Zee Bridge is my preferred route down to Long Island.
We haven't had good experiences with Tappan Zee. It's overcrowded and if a vehicle breaks down the back-ups are horrid. And once you cross you're dealing with either the Major Deegan or the Cross Westchester, neither of which are great in my experience. Our preference is to cross the Hudson on I 84 at Newburgh (if we don't just take the Taconic State Parkway from the north), go down to 684, then take the Hutchinson River Parkway to 295 for the Throgs Neck. It's still not sane (there is nothing sane about driving in metro NY:eek:), but it works for us.
 
We haven't had good experiences with Tappan Zee. It's overcrowded and if a vehicle breaks down the back-ups are horrid. And once you cross you're dealing with either the Major Deegan or the Cross Westchester, neither of which are great in my experience. Our preference is to cross the Hudson on I 84 at Newburgh (if we don't just take the Taconic State Parkway from the north), go down to 684, then take the Hutchinson River Parkway to 295 for the Throgs Neck. It's still not sane (there is nothing sane about driving in metro NY:eek:), but it works for us.

We go Tappan Zee, down Thruway to Cross County to Hutch then Whitestone. Like someone else said you should plan for delays due to traffic, construction or accidents (or any combination of the three). If you make it thru unscathed count your blessings!
 
:spacecraft: Wish some engineer would develop one of these for us! Would solve LOTS of problems.:shake:
KDBax: I like the idea of the Newburg route. I've been there before. It's more sane. But, I'm thinking this should be a two day trip, with leaving the 2nd day early in the morning and getting to KP by noon or so. Thanks for all your help everyone!
 
From WI, are driving out to KP for graduation. What are the best times to drive through the NYC area to get to KP? We plan on arriving on Thursday. Thanks for helping. I've tried finding other threads on this subject, but haven't been able to.

I live in Western PA and have made dozens of trips over the last 2 years. You'll probably be on I-80, I-90 will add hours of Western NY to your trip. The GW and Cross Bronx aren't so bad between 9:30 and 3:00, but I would really plan on being where ever your staying on Long Island before 4:30 because then all #$@E breaks lose and even the roads on Long Island become mobile parking lots. We did this once this fall, when we got out of work early and decide to spend Friday evening on Long Island instead of our normal stop in Parsippany NJ. Big mistake, it added 2½ hours to the trip just to travel the 13 miles to the hotel after crossing the Throggs Neck Bridge.

Patience is the key
 
KP2015DAD: Thank you for your wisdom. We will be traveling on I 80. DH (dear husband) will be reading the comments presented by all and then he and I will design our strategy. A 2 day more relaxed drive is more up my alley, even if we have to be up with the roosters on Thursday morning to arrive in the jungle by 12 noon or 2 pm. (couldn't help but use those fun analogies) (even though I'm originally from Queens!)
 
I live in Western PA and have made dozens of trips over the last 2 years. You'll probably be on I-80, I-90 will add hours of Western NY to your trip. The GW and Cross Bronx aren't so bad between 9:30 and 3:00, but I would really plan on being where ever your staying on Long Island before 4:30 because then all #$@E breaks lose and even the roads on Long Island become mobile parking lots. We did this once this fall, when we got out of work early and decide to spend Friday evening on Long Island instead of our normal stop in Parsippany NJ. Big mistake, it added 2½ hours to the trip just to travel the 13 miles to the hotel after crossing the Throggs Neck Bridge.

Patience is the key

I agree about patience and not taking an alternate route to get to NYC area, as it's only the "NYC area" which will cause the problems. The Cross Bronx is indeed the worst 5 miles of road in the USA traffic wise, so like your KP M/N, expect the unexpected. If you can get to the GW bridge between 10 AM-3:00 PM, you should have a fairly easy trip to LI from there. Again, check the website above for updates on construction, accidents, or other delays.
 
There will not be a "good" time for traffic. Give yourself plenty of time. Cross Bronx is always a nightmare. LIE is a great parking lot so be warned. Never take the GWB or Lincoln unless you have to. Newburg or Tappan Zee Bridge and south direct to Whitstone is a good alternate from the west.
 
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