Brooklyn into Manhattan by U-Haul!

August 26, 2015 7:23 PM

Driving a U-Haul from Clinton Hill to East Harlem (and back) on Saturday morning -- what route should I take?

After you all were so helpful in getting me from Boston to my temporary Brooklyn storage unit I need one more bit of routing help to get me to my Manhattan apartment and back to return the U-Haul!

I need to make two trips this Saturday morning starting around 10 am:
1. 900 Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn to 300 East 105th Street in Manhattan
2. 300 East 105th Street in Manhattan to 1116 St. Johns Pl in Brooklyn

In both directions, the easiest Google Maps routing (ignoring the ones via FDR Drive, which I don't believe is an option for me) is via the RFK/Triborough Bridge: Brooklyn to Harlem and Harlem to Brooklyn (I had to adjust the Harlem-bound trip slightly since the RFK routing initially still had a short stretch on FDR Drive.)

I'm not opposed to paying the $32 round-trip toll if this will save me a lot of time and/or city driving stress, but I'm curious if any of my fellow New Yorkers have alternative routes into and out of Manhattan (also in case there's traffic, accident on the bridge, etc.) that they'd recommend for these trips. I would say that, tolls aside, I would prioritize ease of driving/less stress over the absolute shortest/quickest route. Thanks!

posted by andrewesque to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (4 answers total)

Yeah, I mean you could take the Williamsburg Bridge and go up Allen/1st Ave the whole way and then 2nd Ave/Christie on the way back. I wouldn't go crosstown under any circumstances. As Manhattan driving goes, 1st ave isn't too bad; 2nd ave has subway construction. You could even do 1st ave there and then Triboro back, and save half the toll, I suppose.

How big of a U-haul are you talking? The rules for the GCP between the BQE and the Triboro say, "Single-unit vehicles with no more than three axles and ten tires may operate in both directions on this segment of the Grand Central Parkway".
posted by goingonit at 8:17 PM on August 26, 2015

Response by poster: A 10 footer, which if I'm correct is a 2-axle, 4-tire vehicle so should be OK on that part of the GCP. (I've always been a little unclear on the "axle" concept so if someone wants to correct me that'd be great!)
posted by andrewesque at 4:31 AM on August 27, 2015

Oooh, okay, here is what I would actually do, which is a little crazy but:

Go down Classon to the BQE.

Take the BQE to the LIE to Manhattan.

Take the Midtown tunnel, go up Third Avenue to Harlem.

On Saturday at 10 a.m., traffic should be light everywhere except the BQE, which shouldn't be too bad.

I feel like this route up will be slightly slower and somewhat safer and less stressful.

You can reverse it pretty well too.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 7:19 AM on August 27, 2015

I would probably take Atlantic to Flatbush, go across the Manhattan Bridge, up Christie or the Bowery to Houston, across to and up First Avenue to 105th St. (then down Second Ave to the Manhattan Bridge on the way back.) Whether this is worse than the routing across the Triboro bridge depends on your preference for driving in Manhattan vs. the BQE.
posted by andrewraff at 11:08 AM on August 27, 2015