The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expects more than 6.7 million travelers to use its airports and vehicular crossings during the peak travel period from Thursday, Aug. 29, through Tuesday, Sept. 3. This would be a record for the Labor Day travel period.
The agency estimates that approximately 4.2 million vehicles will use its bridges and tunnels over the holiday period, consistent with volume from the same period in 2023. To accommodate anticipated significant volume, all ongoing repairs and construction projects at its crossings will be suspended from 5 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. A separate travel advisory for any lane closures or service changes for the remainder of that week will be issued next week.
The agency anticipates about 2.5 million passengers will travel through John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and New York Stewart International airports during the six-day period. Thursday, Friday and Monday are expected to be the busiest days at the airports. This anticipated volume represents an increase of 3 percent from the previous high recorded for the travel period in 2023, and an 8 percent jump compared to the same period in pre-pandemic 2019.
The Port Authority strongly encourages all 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.
All travelers, whether by air or road, are strongly encouraged to allow for additional travel time or take public transit whenever possible.
LANE CLOSURES:
Holland Tunnel:
- From 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, to 5 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, one eastbound lane will be closed.
- From 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, to 5 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, 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.
Bayonne Bridge:
- On Thursday, Aug. 29, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., one southbound right lane will be closed.
AIRPORTS & AIRTRAIN:
- Until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, the 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 has been 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 has been 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:
- From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, trains between Newark-Penn Station and Journal Square will operate every 40 minutes in both directions due to track replacement and maintenance. Customers traveling from World Trade Center, Exchange Pl, or Grove St to Newark-Penn Station or Harrison may need to transfer at Journal Square to complete their trip.
- On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2, trains will operate on a modified Saturday schedule. A schedule of planned holiday changes to PATH service for the remainder of 2024 is available 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.
