Expect traffic delays all week with U.N. and Obama in town

With President Barack Obama and hundreds of other world leaders and diplomats in town for the United Nation’s General Assembly that begins Monday, it’s going to be a nightmare to get around a big chunk of Manhattan this week.

The NYPD said it is shutting down traffic as needed Monday through Friday for the VIPs, especially in Midtown West. Some affected areas include:

- East 34th St. to 57th St. from First to Second Aves.
- East 50th St. between the FDR Drive and Sixth Ave.
- First through Third Aves. between 43 and 47th Sts.
- East 45th and 46th Sts. from Madison to Vanderbilt Aves.
- East 48th-51st Sts., from Lexington to Madison Aves.
- West 52nd – 54th Sts. from Sixth to Seventh Aves.

“Drivers will be frozen in their tracks whenever the president and other world leaders move about the city,” said traffic guru “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz, noting that Obama will attend meetings and fundraisers around the city between Monday and Wednesday night.

“It’s bad enough that Manhattan will be one big frozen zone, but now you also have checkpoints across the city at bridges, tunnels and lower Manhattan,” Schwartz added, due to the increased security that began before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.