Dear Jim:
Dino’s home in Nassau County (Long Island) New York could prove to be where he will stay during the difficulties that “might” descend upon us. It might be impossible to bug out to his upstate property. Here’s why. The only connections to the US mainland from western Long Island are the following:
• The Throgs Neck Bridge to the Bronx
• The Whitestone Bridge to the Bronx
• The Triboro Bridge to Manhattan Island
• The Queensboro Bridge to Manhattan Island
• The Queens Midtown Tunnel to Manhattan Island
• The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to Manhattan Island
• The Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan Island
• The Manhattan Bridge to Manhattan Island
• The Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan Island
• The Verrazano Narrows Bridge to Staten Island (from Brooklyn) Now transit into the Bronx puts you on the mainland. However, any other bridge or tunnel simply puts you on another island (Manhattan or Staten Island) necessitating transit over another bridge or thru another tunnel. Here they are:
• The George Washington Bridge to NJ
• The Lincoln Tunnel to NJ
• The Holland Tunnel to NJ
• The Verrazano Narrows Bridge to Staten Island New York has the two types of limited access highways.
There are “parkways” which accommodate only passenger cars due to the low overpasses and “expressways” which accommodate all traffic. Auto and truck traffic around New York is heavy 24/7 and any “event” will only add to the congestion. Any disruption on the “parkways” would divert all traffic to the “expressways” causing massive tie ups. The same thing would happen if the “expressways” were disrupted. Total gridlock would be the norm.
Thirty eight years of experience with these roads has driven this point home. If Dino is lucky enough to make it to Staten Island, he still needs to negotiate either the Goethals Bridge or the Outerbridge Crossing to gain access to the mainland. If he succeeds in making it through the Holland Tunnel, he may have to cross the Newark Bay Bridge or the Pulaski Skyway. Should Dino head east there are ferries to Connecticut from Orient Point to New London Connecticut. Their capacity is very limited. Since all the bridges and tunnels around Manhattan and Brooklyn are critical “choke” points and necessary for all food/fuel supplies that must be transported into Manhattan, Dino may find it extremely difficult to make it to the mainland. Law enforcement will be monitoring these very closely, hence more delays. In addition, the areas in New Jersey outside New York City are filled with refineries, rail yards, power plants and chemical plants.
There is also a major airport (Newark Liberty) which sits hard by the 12 lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike. Dino may have a real challenge reaching his retreat. My best to you and the – Mrs. Jack