A major Sunday ride around Manhattan
Bike MS: New York City is scheduled to send cyclists around Manhattan on Sunday, bringing rolling road closures and bridge and tunnel restrictions during the morning. Notify NYC said closures around the island’s outer edge were expected from about 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The ride starts and finishes at Pier 76 on the West Side.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society lists 30- and 50-mile routes for the 2026 event. The city’s event calendar gives a 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. window for activity on the FDR Drive between the Battery Park Underpass and Harlem River Drive. Actual reopening times can vary as police release sections of the route.
Roads, bridges and tunnels affected
City notices identify the West Side Highway, FDR Drive, Harlem River Drive and Henry Hudson Parkway among the roads subject to rolling closures. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, Henry Hudson Bridge, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and George Washington Bridge also appear in the citywide alert. The Department of Transportation separately lists the southbound West Street segment from West 54th Street to the Battery Park Underpass, the underpass’s south tube and the northbound FDR Drive as event locations.
At the George Washington Bridge, the Port Authority scheduled several ramp closures from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. They include connections from the eastbound upper and lower levels to the Henry Hudson Parkway, along with ramps from West 177th Street and the westbound lower-level Trans-Manhattan Expressway. Posted detours direct drivers toward West 178th or West 181st streets and Haven Avenue, depending on the approach.
How to plan around the route
Drivers crossing Manhattan should allow extra time and avoid assuming that a familiar north-south route will be continuously available. A rolling closure may reopen behind the riders while another segment closes ahead of them. Police can also adjust restrictions for crowd and traffic conditions.
Subway and commuter-rail service may be a more predictable alternative for trips that would otherwise use the river drives. Bus riders should check for detours near Pier 76 and access points along the route. People traveling to airports or other fixed-time appointments should build in a larger margin, especially when approaching the George Washington Bridge or Lower Manhattan.
A fundraising event with a transportation footprint
The ride is part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Bike MS series. Organizers describe the events as fundraising rides that support research and services for people living with multiple sclerosis. The New York event requires participating riders to meet a fundraising minimum, and its closed-road course is a major part of the attraction.
That public purpose does not eliminate the day’s practical effects. The most useful approach is to treat the published times as a planning range rather than a precise promise. The city says closures are at the discretion of the Police Department, and the weekly traffic advisory can change.
Travelers should check live conditions before leaving, follow posted detours and avoid entering blocked highway approaches. The event is concentrated in the morning, but traffic may take additional time to normalize after the last riders pass and barriers are removed.
The DOT advisory also lists other Sunday events in Manhattan, including Lexington Avenue festivals and the Disability Pride Parade. Those closures are separate from Bike MS and can affect local streets away from the river drives. A route that avoids the cycling course may still encounter a permitted event, making the city’s weekly advisory and live navigation tools especially important for cross-town trips.
Sources: NYC DOT weekly traffic advisory · Notify NYC · National MS Society event page · Port Authority travel advisory. Reporting reviewed October 18, 2026.