Hours before Pope Francis arrival, NYPD begins closing streets

With Pope Francis scheduled to arrive in New York City at 5 p.m. Thursday, the NYPD began closing streets in Manhattan at midnight, part of what officials call the largest security operation in city history.

Closures began with streets around St. Patrick's Cathedral -- 50th and 51st, both from Madison Avenue -- hours before the pope is scheduled to appear there at 6:45 p.m. Those streets will be closed until about 9 p.m.

The NYPD said street around St. Patrick's are scheduled to be closed, some temporarily, throughout the day, while others, like those around the Papal Nuncio's Residence, will be closed until Saturday.

Others are scheduled for closure Thursday in the area surrounding the United Nations, where statesmen and diplomats from worldwide are gathering this week for the 70th U.N. General Assembly.

The U.N. road closures will run until Oct. 2.

The papal closures will run, on and off, until Saturday.

Thursday closures are as follows, according to the NYPD:

FOR POPE FRANCIS

Beginning at about midnight the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 9 p.m.:

• 50th Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue;

• 51st Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue.

Beginning at about 3 a.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be closed to vehicular traffic until 6 a.m.:

• 5th Avenue from 47th Street to 55th Street;

• 48th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 49th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 50th Street from 5th Ave. to 6th Avenue (will remained closed until about 9 p.m.);

• 51st Street from 5th Ave. to 6th Avenue (will remained closed until about 9 p.m.);

• 52nd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 53rd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 54th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 55th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

Beginning at about 6 a.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the St. Patrick's Cathedral will be reopened to vehicular traffic until 10 a.m.:

• 5th Avenue from 47th Street to 55th Street;

• 48th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 49th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 52nd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 53rd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 54th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 55th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

Crosstown traffic will be reduced to one lane of traffic.

Beginning at about 10 a.m. the following streets in the vicinity of St. Patrick's will be closed to vehicular traffic until about 9 p.m.:

• 5th Avenue from 47th Street to 55th Street;

• 48th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 49th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 50th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 51st Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 52nd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 53rd Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 54th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue;

• 55th Street from Madison Ave. to 6th Avenue.

Beginning at about 2 p.m. the following streets in the vicinity of St. Patrick's will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately 9 p.m.:

• Madison Avenue from 47th Street to 57th Street;

On Thursday the FDR Drive will be subject to intermittent closures:

• Southbound at 63rd Street;

• Northbound at South Ferry

Beginning at about 8 a.m. the following street in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence will be closed to vehicular traffic until Saturday at about 10 a.m.:

• 72nd Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue;

Beginning at about 3 p.m. the following street in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence will be closed to vehicular traffic until Saturday at about 10 a.m.:

• 71st Street from Madison Ave. to 5th Avenue;

Trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access:

• Madison Ave. from 69th Street to 74th Street while Pope Francis is in residence.

Additional intermittent closures/managed access to vehicular traffic in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence include:

• 5th Avenue to from 74th Street to 71st Street;

• 70th Street from Park Avenue to 5th Avenue;

• 71st Street from Park Avenue to Madison Avenue;

• 72nd Street from Park Avenue to Madison Avenue;

• 73rd Street from Madison Avenue to 5th Avenue;

• Madison Ave. from 69th Street to 73rd Street -two western lanes closed.

Beginning at about 10 p.m. the following streets in the vicinity of the Papal Nuncio's Residence will be closed to vehicular traffic until about 6 a.m.:

• 71st Street from Park Ave. to 5th Avenue;

• 72nd Street from Park Ave. to 5th Avenue;

• 73rd Street from Park Ave. to 5th Avenue;

• Madison Ave. from 70th Street to 73rd Street.

Trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access:

• 5th Ave. from 74th Street to 71st Street;

• Madison Ave. from 69th Street to 74th Street.

70th U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY CLOSURES

The following streets in the vicinity of the United Nations will continued to be closed to vehicular traffic:

• 1st Avenue from 42nd Street to 48th Street. The tunnel underpass from 41st Street to 48th Street will remain open for passenger cars. Trucks and other large vehicles will not be able to access until the end of each day's session;

• 44th Street from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue;

• 45th Street from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue;

• 46th Street from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue;

• 49th Street from 3rd Avenue to Lexington Avenue.

The following streets will have one traffic lane dedicated to emergency vehicles for the duration of the General Assembly:

· 42nd Street from 1st Avenue to 5th Avenue;

· 57th Street from 2nd Avenue to 5th Avenue;

· 2nd Avenue from 41st Street to 57th Street.

The following will be closed to vehicular traffic beginning at approximately 5 a.m.:

• 42nd Street from the FDR Drive to 2nd Avenue;

• 42nd Street Exit and Entrance ramps of the FDR Drive

These areas will reopen each evening after the day's session.

On Thursday the FDR Drive will be subject to intermittent closures:

• Southbound at 63rd Street;

• Northbound at South Ferry.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”