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5.5 Million Record High Number of Travelers Expected to Fly or Drive Over Five-Day 4th of July Holiday Travel Period

GWB

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Fort Lee NJ, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey strongly encourages travelers by air, rail and road to allot additional travel time during the five-day July Fourth holiday travel period. More than 5.5 million passengers are expected to use its airports, bridges and tunnels between Wednesday, July 3 and Sunday, July 7, which would represent a record high for the July Fourth travel period.

The agency anticipates more than 2.1 million passengers will travel through John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and New York Stewart International airports from Wednesday, July 3 through Sunday, July 7. This anticipated volume would be a new record for the holiday period, representing an increase of 9.6 percent compared to the same holiday period in pre-pandemic July 2019 and a 6.1 percent increase compared to 2023. Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be the busiest days at the region’s airports.

The Port Authority strongly encourages all air travelers to plan ahead and allow for additional travel time. Travelers should expect longer wait times due to higher passenger volume and ongoing construction. All passengers on domestic flights should arrive to the airport at least two hours in advance of their departure time and passengers on international flights should arrive at the airports at least three hours in advance of their departure times. Travelers are strongly advised to check the Port Authority’s air travel tips for information on preparing for their trips, including how to find real-time wait time information for TSA security lines, information on parking lot availability, AirTrain maps and schedules, directions for public transit and for-hire vehicle information.

Air travelers should also note that due to construction underway for the $19 billion redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), motorists and anyone using for-hire vehicle services should expect delays or reroutes due to detours or closures of parts of the airport roadway network. Starting July 1 through Labor Day, AirTrain JFK single ride fare will be reduced by 50 percent to $4.25 to encourage the use of mass transit for access to or from JFK — with 20-minute trains to the Jamaica AirTrain JFK station from Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station. For motorists, the Port Authority encourages the use of its free drop-off, pickup and waiting lot at the Lefferts Boulevard AirTrain JFK station, where passengers can easily connect to the free on-airport AirTrain for an eight-minute ride to airport terminals. These roadway changes are required to accommodate the work underway to transform JFK into a world-class global gateway with new terminals, local concessions, family-friendly amenities, and a best-in-class air travel experience. Travelers can visit Construction.JFKAirport.com for customized travel impacts.

As many as 3.4 million vehicles are expected to cross the Port Authority’s bridges and tunnels over the same holiday travel period based on recent travel trends, which is above 2019 and 2023 actual traffic volumes from the same period.

A separate travel advisory for any lane closures or service changes for the remainder of the week after July Fourth will be issued next week.

 

LANE CLOSURES:

George Washington Bridge:

Holland Tunnel:

  • From 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 5, to 9 a.m. Saturday, July 6, the New Jersey-bound tube of the Holland Tunnel will be closed due to ongoing Superstorm Sandy-related repairs. The New York-bound tube remains open during work.
  • From 11 p.m. Sunday, July 7, to 5:30 a.m. Monday, July 8, the New Jersey-bound tube of the Holland Tunnel will be closed due to ongoing Superstorm Sandy-related repairs. The New York-bound tube remains open during work in the New Jersey-bound tube. For more information on this critical repair project, click here.
  • From 11 p.m. Sunday, July 7, to 5 a.m. Monday, July 8, one eastbound lane will be closed.

Lincoln Tunnel:

  • From 11 p.m. Thursday, July 4, to 5 a.m. Friday, July 5, the south tube will be closed. New York-bound traffic in the center tube and New Jersey-bound traffic in the north tube will not be affected.

Bayonne Bridge:

  • On Thursday, July 4, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Bayonne Bridge shared use path will be closed.

Goethals Bridge:

  • On Thursday, July 4, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Goethals Bridge shared use path will be closed.

 

ALL AIRPORTS:

  • Through 12:01 a.m. Monday, Sept. 2, AirTrain JFK single ride fare will be reduced to $4.25 to encourage the use of mass transit for passengers traveling to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport during peak travel season. More details can be found here.
  • Until further notice, from 12 p.m. each afternoon to 2 a.m. the following morning, the for-hire vehicle pickup at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 will be relocated to the Remote Ride App & Car Services Lot due to airport redevelopment construction. Passengers seeking for-hire vehicle service from Terminal 4 should take a free shuttle bus departing from the Terminal 4 arrivals level every 1-2 minutes to the Remote Ride App & Car Services Lot. Passengers should order their ride no more than 5 minutes prior to arriving to the lot. An announcement will be made on the shuttle bus when the bus is 5 minutes from the lot. Passengers departing from Terminal 4 will continue to be dropped off at the Terminal 4 frontage. Signage has been installed to direct passengers to pick-up locations. More details can be found here.
  • To avoid potential construction-related congestion at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s terminal frontages, motorists are encouraged to use the free drop-off and pickup lot at the on-airport Lefferts Boulevard AirTrain JFK station. There, passengers can easily connect to the free AirTrain for an eight-minute ride to airport terminals.
  • Until further notice, JFK Expressway is closed for customers traveling to/from Terminal 1. Access to other terminals from JFK Expressway is not impacted. Drivers will be detoured with signage via local on-airport roads and should allow 10-15 minutes of additional travel time.
  • Until further notice, the for-hire vehicle pick-up location at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 5 will be relocated to Terminal 7’s Orange Garage roof due to airport redevelopment construction. Passengers seeking for-hire vehicle service from Terminal 5 should take AirTrain JFK to Terminal 7 for the Orange Garage. Passengers arriving to Terminal 5 will continue to be dropped off at the Terminal 5 frontage. Signage has been installed to direct passengers to pick-up locations. More details can be found here.
  • Until further notice, the taxi stand at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 5 has been relocated to the ground level of Terminal 5’s Yellow Parking Garage. Passengers seeking taxi transportation from Terminal 5 are directed to the Yellow Garage via the skywalk on the fifth floor, where passengers may access the new taxi stand using elevators or stairs. Wayfinding signage has been installed along the pedestrian route.
  • Until further notice, parking on level 1 of John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Yellow Parking Lot at Terminal 5 is now dedicated for individuals with special needs or disabilities. For customer assistance, parking attendants are available on level 1. All other vehicles must park on levels 2 to 6. Premium Reserved Parking is available on level 5, which is easily accessible to Terminal 5 via the pedestrian skywalk. Electric vehicle charging is available on level 2. Plan ahead by checking parking availability and booking a parking spot in advance.
  • As a reminder, all rental car companies serving Newark Liberty International Airport now operate out of the new consolidated rental car center that is co-located within the Parking A garage on levels 1 through 3. All rental transactions, including returns, take place at the new center. The facility is connected to Newark Liberty’s terminals B and C via AirTrain Newark, with a direct connection to Terminal A via a pedestrian bridge. Passengers exiting Terminal A can walk across the bridge to arrive on level two of the rental car facility. Drivers should follow “Rental Car Return” roadway signage. For more information, click here.
  • As a reminder, peak period parking rates are now in effect at John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia airports. To manage on-airport parking demand, the Port Authority is urgently calling on air travelers to use mass transit and to pre-book parking spaces if they plan to travel to the airport by private car. Travelers who do not pre-book will be charged a peak period drive-up surcharge and may not be able to find a parking spot at the airport. To avoid paying a higher parking rate and guarantee a parking spot, travelers parking for longer than three hours are strongly encouraged to pre-book parking at least 24 hours in advance. For more information on the updated rates and how to guarantee a parking spot, click here.
  • LaGuardia Link Q70 bus service is fare free year-round to encourage the use of public transit to and from LaGuardia Airport, as announced in April 2022 by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. For information on how to get to the airport via public transit, visit the MTA’s page on travel to LaGuardia Airport.

 

PATH

  • On Thursday, July 4, trains will operate on a Saturday schedule. Additional trains will operate:
    • Between Newark-Penn Station and World Trade Center every 10 minutes from 5:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
    • Between Journal Square, Hoboken, and 33 St every 10 minutes from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
  • New York-bound trains will stop at the Grove St. station this weekend with the resumption of regular service, after weekend station bypasses to accommodate extensive station rehabilitation work ended ahead of schedule. For more information, click here.
  • Customers who use the PATH World Trade Center station during overnights should use the street level entrances at Fulton Street or Vesey Street via the North Concourse in the 2 World Trade Center transit lobby. Oculus access is limited overnight from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. to allow for enhanced cleaning and the safety and security of customers due to reduced traffic volumes. All other entrances will be closed. For updates on the WTC campus, click here.
  • For information on PATH service and train schedules, click here or download the PATH mobile app, RidePath.

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5 thoughts on “5.5 Million Record High Number of Travelers Expected to Fly or Drive Over Five-Day 4th of July Holiday Travel Period

  1. Back yard lookin’ awfully good….

  2. Not me, I’ll be in my own backyard cooking and eating drinks for all.

  3. I haven’t been in a plane since 2011.

    1. i have not been on an airline since 1999

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