Obama, tree lighting promise NYC gridlock

Wednesday will be a nightmare before Christmas for motorists in Manhattan.

A visit by President Barack Obama and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony are expected to snarl traffic from 3 to 11 p.m.

The traffic will be especially mired in midtown, as thousands of New Yorkers and tourists pack into Rockefeller Center to catch a glimpse of the tree-lighting ceremony and musical performances.

To compound the mayhem caused by the massive holiday crowds, Obama will hop around the city for fundraisers near Washington Square Park, midtown and the Upper East Side just as New Yorkers begin their afternoon commute. His motorcade will shut down the FDR Drive and several city blocks during those events.

Former traffic commissioner Sam Schwartz suggested people travel by subway and avoid cars and buses, saying midtown will become "almost immobile at times.

"Anybody that travels into midtown Manhattan with a car [Wednesday] should have their head examined," he said.

"You will see major gridlock like you haven't seen in a long time."

Performances at Rockefeller Center will include Cee Lo Green, Michael Bublé, Carole King and the Rockettes. The show starts at 7 p.m. and NBC will air it live.

Justin Bieber recorded songs with Usher, Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey to be broadcast on the show.

The show will wrap up when Mayor Michael Bloomberg helps flip a switch at 8:55 p.m. to turn on the 30,000 lights that adorn the 74-foot-tall Norway spruce.