GRIDLOCK SAM

FRI., SEPT. 11 – SUN., SEPT. 13 ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

Veep-lock alert in Lower Manhattan Friday morning! Vice President Mike Pence will attend two 9/11 ceremonies at and across from the World Trade Center wreaking havoc on traffic from LaGuardia Airport to Downtown. When he’s moving, you won’t.

Pence is expected to land at LaGuardia Airport around 8 a.m., and there’ll likely be brief closures on the westbound Grand Central Parkway, RFK Bridge, the southbound FDR, the Battery Underpass connection, the West Side Highway in both directions south of Chambers St. Traffic in the Brooklyn-Battery (Carey) Tunnel will also be halted briefly.

Broadway and Church St. will likely be closed all morning south of Chambers St. I always suggest drivers avoid Lower Manhattan on 9/11 out of respect for families honoring loved ones, but this year, you should also do it for your sanity. Late morning, expect Veep-related slowdowns on the FDR, RFK and GCP.

The Tribute in Light beams reminiscent of the Twin Towers may cause traffic turbulence on the West Side Highway in the evening. Please drive carefully.

Tolls in New Jersey will go up just after midnight Saturday by an average of 36% on the Turnpike, and 27% on the Garden State Parkway.

New York drivers, if your vehicle inspection, driver license, or registration expired in March or later, the deadline has been extended until at least Oct. 4. You can renew licenses and registrations by mail.

Mailbag:

Dear Gridlock Sam,

I just got a ticket for an expired inspection. Isn’t there still a moratorium? Where can I find something to print to send in with my ticket? I was reading Gov. Cuomo's orders, but I can't seem to find anything.

Victor Dear Victor,

Yes, as you may have just read above, the new deadline is Oct. 4. The best thing to send is a copy of the “DMV Reopening Guidance” page on their website which says inspections “continue to be extended by Executive Order.” The orders themselves are too numerous to offer much help. If you’re keeping score at home the current one, 202.60, extended 202.48, but neither of them mentions inspections. You have to go back to 202.11 in March to find the only explicit reference.

It’s long overdue for the city to stop issuing these mistaken tickets, and to start automatically dismissing the existing ones. The city has done this before, and even Mayor de Blasio said he thought it was a good idea.