NYC people: question about traffic

[rh71]

Monday afternoon... can I make it by car (we'll have luggage) from Manhattan (51st & 6th ave.) to JFK in 1.5 hours starting around 4pm ? I know the traffic on the Queens-Midtown Tunnel --> LIE east --> Van Wyck south can be rough... but not sure about that timing (just before rush hour, technically). Need to be at the airport by 530pm the latest.

 

[xospec1alk]

if you're at 51st and 6th why don't you just go over the Queensborough bridge instead of going down to 34th to hit the midtown?

and i think you can make it in 1.5hours.

thats how long the airport shuttles say they would take from the city...

 

[rh71]

^ hmm, good point. We may start from right near the Queens-Midtown Tunnel instead (ask them to meet us there) as a start-off point ... to save some time.

Queensboro Bridge connecting to the LIE looks more complicated.

 

[Legendary]

Originally posted by: rh71
^ hmm, good point. We may start from right near the Queens-Midtown Tunnel instead (ask them to meet us there) as a start-off point ... to save some time.

Queensboro Bridge connecting to the LIE looks more complicated.

If you start at 51st and 6th, I'd take Q'sboro (as mentioned above) but if you start from midtown, the midtown tunnel would save you roughly 20 minutes (it's not that far from the Q'sboro to 495)
You'll find the most traffic at the 495/Grand Central Parkway/Van Wyck interchanges and the first 2-3 miles of the Van Wyck after you get off (where they were doing construction last time I was on it roughly 3 months ago). If you can shave some time off on 495 it would help you out later on.

 

[J0hnny]

Bad idea to hit the Queensboro on Monday afternoon starting at 4pm (rush hour begins at around 3:30pm). The traffic going into the LIE from the Queensboro at that time will take alot of time as well.

It'd be quicker to take the midtown tunnel because you'd shoot right into the LIE. I can guarantee you traffic into the tunnel as well, but it shouldn't be too bad going crosstown into the tunnel.

You'll be guaranteed to hit traffic at the 495/GCP/Van Wyck and then guaranteed more traffic on the Van Wyck.

I used to commute by car everyday into Queens from appx. 3:30-4pm from 16th St. in Manhattan and I tried all different routes. I can guarantee that the 1.5 hours is cutting it close.

 

[rh71]

thx... maybe we should avoid going into the city to pick this person up (no luggage) altogether... is it much easier for someone from around 51st/6th to get to JFK by train ? I know they have that airtram now... but how exactly and how long ?

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: rh71
thx... maybe we should avoid going into the city to pick this person up (no luggage) altogether... is it much easier for someone from around 51st/6th to get to JFK by train ? I know they have that airtram now... but how exactly and how long ?

Why can't they take the subway to Penn, and then just take the LIRR to whatever town is closest to you?

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: rh71
thx... maybe we should avoid going into the city to pick this person up (no luggage) altogether... is it much easier for someone from around 51st/6th to get to JFK by train ? I know they have that airtram now... but how exactly and how long ?

Why can't they take the subway to Penn, and then just take the LIRR to whatever town is closest to you?

takes an hour by train anyway to get here... my wife does it everyday... so it'd probably be better for them just to meet at the airport via airtrain.

I found out it's the E train to the Sutphin Blvd-Archer Ave stop. Looks very simple since there's a 51st E Train already... only question left is how long it takes to JFK from 51st/6th... by train.

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: J0hnny
Bad idea to hit the Queensboro on Monday afternoon starting at 4pm (rush hour begins at around 3:30pm). The traffic going into the LIE from the Queensboro at that time will take alot of time as well.

It'd be quicker to take the midtown tunnel because you'd shoot right into the LIE. I can guarantee you traffic into the tunnel as well, but it shouldn't be too bad going crosstown into the tunnel.

You'll be guaranteed to hit traffic at the 495/GCP/Van Wyck and then guaranteed more traffic on the Van Wyck.

I used to commute by car everyday into Queens from appx. 3:30-4pm from 16th St. in Manhattan and I tried all different routes. I can guarantee that the 1.5 hours is cutting it close.

I hate you j0hnny...=)

the way i saw it is that theres a longer stretch on the LIE w/ traffic and usually van dam street leading up to the LIE off the QB aint so bad...but you'd know better....

anyways as for public transportation....from 51st and 6th, you can take the luggage, hop on a train(F/V at 53rd and 5th or rockefeller)/Cab and get to penn station hop on the LIRR to Jamaica Station and then catch the Airtrain from there...OR

take the E from 53rd and 5th and take that all the way to jamaica center to catch the Airtrain...since its express in queens, its like 6 or so stops in queens...but its damn quick.

I went from 14th st to JFK in under an hour by taking the E train to the Airtrain....

 

[Doggiedog]

Are you driving or taking a cab?

It will be nearly impossible to find a cab around 4PM because that is the switch time for cab driver shifts.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Are you driving or taking a cab?

It will be nearly impossible to find a cab around 4PM because that is the switch time for cab driver shifts.

driving my car down there... but it's looking more and more like the E Train (from 53rd/5th actually) + Airtrain for her...

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Are you driving or taking a cab?

It will be nearly impossible to find a cab around 4PM because that is the switch time for cab driver shifts.

driving my car down there... but it's looking more and more like the E Train (from 53rd/5th actually) + Airtrain for her...

Yeh it might suck with all the luggage, but its probably the quickest way there...

 

[m2kewl]

4pm afternoon traffic - you're screwed any which way.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: xospec1alk
I went from 14th st to JFK in under an hour by taking the E train to the Airtrain....

is that 14th st in Manhattan or somewhere in Queens ?

 

[Doggiedog]

Why not try the airport bus from 42nd Street and Park? It is decently fast and cheap too.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Why not try the airport bus from 42nd Street and Park? It is decently fast and cheap too.

bus has to go through all that street traffic too ... no ?

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: xospec1alk
I went from 14th st to JFK in under an hour by taking the E train to the Airtrain....

is that 14th st in Manhattan or somewhere in Queens ?

14th st in manhattan

 

[J0hnny]

Originally posted by: xospec1alk

Originally posted by: J0hnny
Bad idea to hit the Queensboro on Monday afternoon starting at 4pm (rush hour begins at around 3:30pm). The traffic going into the LIE from the Queensboro at that time will take alot of time as well.

It'd be quicker to take the midtown tunnel because you'd shoot right into the LIE. I can guarantee you traffic into the tunnel as well, but it shouldn't be too bad going crosstown into the tunnel.

You'll be guaranteed to hit traffic at the 495/GCP/Van Wyck and then guaranteed more traffic on the Van Wyck.

I used to commute by car everyday into Queens from appx. 3:30-4pm from 16th St. in Manhattan and I tried all different routes. I can guarantee that the 1.5 hours is cutting it close.

I hate you j0hnny...=)

the way i saw it is that theres a longer stretch on the LIE w/ traffic and usually van dam street leading up to the LIE off the QB aint so bad...but you'd know better....

anyways as for public transportation....from 51st and 6th, you can take the luggage, hop on a train(F/V at 53rd and 5th or rockefeller)/Cab and get to penn station hop on the LIRR to Jamaica Station and then catch the Airtrain from there...OR

take the E from 53rd and 5th and take that all the way to jamaica center to catch the Airtrain...since its express in queens, its like 6 or so stops in queens...but its damn quick.

I went from 14th st to JFK in under an hour by taking the E train to the Airtrain....

The problem with getting to the LIE from the QB is that you'll hit the traffic from people coming in from Brooklyn and it's a popular truck route as well. The midtown tunnel really is the fastest route into LIE from manhattan but I can't stomach the tolls for a normal commute!

Honestly, train is the best option for a weekday afternoon. If you could pick her up at noon, that'd be best. Traffic out of manhattan doesn't begin to pick up until after 3:30.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Why not try the airport bus from 42nd Street and Park? It is decently fast and cheap too.

bus has to go through all that street traffic too ... no ?

Yes but they are pretty close to the tunnel and I'm sure they run on schedule.

FWIW, traffic this morning into the city was pretty bad for a Monday so I'm sure it won't be good leaving it later today.

 

[gshock888]

it may be fine with 90 minutes but play it safe. give the ride 2 hours.

if ur having light luggage, since your at 51st street you can definitely make it in an hour using the E train then Airtrain. personally i never tried going to any airport using public transportation but hey, if its rush hour, and ur traveling light, why the h3ll not?

 

[tami]

doesn't the A train do that as well? (the far rockaway-bound A, not the lefferts boulevard one). take it to howard beach and then take the shuttle bus. that will definitely take a solid 1.5 hours and hopefully not much more.

airtrain is a nice perk though. i didn't realize that the E went to an airtrain pickup location. (i haven't done subways to JFK in awhile)

another solution is to take the LIRR to jamaica and then transfer to the airtrain. i think that may be fastest.

 

[gshock888]

the E goes to the LIRR/Airtrain hub at Sutphin Blvd Jamaica

 

[imthebadguy]

take the van vick

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: tami
doesn't the A train do that as well? (the far rockaway-bound A, not the lefferts boulevard one). take it to howard beach and then take the shuttle bus. that will definitely take a solid 1.5 hours and hopefully not much more.

airtrain is a nice perk though. i didn't realize that the E went to an airtrain pickup location. (i haven't done subways to JFK in awhile)

another solution is to take the LIRR to jamaica and then transfer to the airtrain. i think that may be fastest.

from 51st and 6th, its quicker to catch the E to queens rather than the A downtown through all of manhattan and then through brooklyn...