NYC Marathon road closures: Verrazzano shut Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus Queensboro, Pulaski and First Avenue

Driving anywhere near the course on Sunday, Nov. 1, will be close to impossible. The city's official closure notice for the TCS New York City Marathon lists shutdowns in all five boroughs, starting Saturday night on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and running into Sunday evening in Manhattan, and the MTA is telling runners and spectators to take transit, ABC7 reported Wednesday.

All times below come from the Mayor's Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management closure notice. The city warns that closures and reopenings happen on a rolling basis, can change without notice and are at the NYPD's discretion.

The bridges

• Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge: upper level closed both ways from 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, to 4 p.m. Sunday; lower level closed both ways 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Drivers between Brooklyn and Staten Island need another route.
• Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge: lower level closed both ways and upper level closed to trucks, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Pulaski Bridge (Greenpoint to Long Island City): closed Sunday morning to 6:30 p.m.
• Willis Avenue and Madison Avenue bridges: closed 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Borough by borough

• Staten Island: Bay Street (Richmond Terrace to Victory Boulevard), Richmond Terrace to the ferry terminal, Narrows Road South, Lily Pond Avenue and streets around Fort Wadsworth close 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the Staten Island Expressway's Bay Street exit is closed in that window. ABC7, citing the MTA, said the Bay Street and Lily Pond Avenue exits close at 3 a.m.
• Brooklyn: the BQE from the bridge to 79th Street is closed 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The course streets close for the day: Fourth Avenue from 94th Street to Flatbush Avenue (from 6:30 a.m.), then Flatbush, Lafayette and Bedford avenues, Nassau and Manhattan avenues and McGuinness Boulevard, mostly 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Expect delays at Belt Parkway exits from 5 a.m.
• Queens: the Long Island City stretch, including Vernon Boulevard, 48th Avenue, 44th Drive, Crescent Street and Queens Plaza South, is closed 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Bronx: the course loop through Mott Haven (East 135th and 138th streets, Alexander Avenue, East 141st Street and Third Avenue) closes 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; the Major Deegan exit to the Willis Avenue Bridge is closed 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. This is the stretch rerouted for 2026, the course's first official change in 15 years, Fox 5 noted.
• Manhattan: First Avenue from 59th Street to the Willis Avenue Bridge is closed 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Fifth Avenue from 138th to 90th streets (with a detour around Marcus Garvey Park) 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Central Park South and Grand Army Plaza 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Near the finish, Central Park West, Columbus Avenue and Broadway between 59th and 77th streets are closed from early morning until 9:30 p.m. Expect intermittent closures at FDR Drive and Harlem River Drive exits from 8:45 a.m.

There are also no-parking zones from Saturday through Sunday along First Avenue (58th to 125th streets), Central Park West and nearby side streets, and Saturday-morning closures in Midtown for the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, including Sixth Avenue from 42nd to 59th streets from 8 to 10:15 a.m.

Buses, subways and trains

The Central Park transverse roads at 65th, 79th and 96th streets will be closed most of the day, and buses will not be allowed to cross Fifth Avenue during the race, with other diversions along the route, ABC7 reported. The MTA said subways will connect runners to the Staten Island Ferry, where shuttle buses run to the start; Metro-North will add trains on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines; and extra staff will manage crowds near the finish, where some station stairways may be entrance-only or exit-only.

Check mta.info, the MTA app or 511 before you go.

Security

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there are no known specific or credible threats to the race, NY1 reported. Thousands of officers will line the route, with bomb squad, K-9, mounted, harbor and aviation units, drones, hundreds of blocker vehicles and more than 10,000 metal barricades. About 60,000 runners and more than 2 million spectators are expected, according to NY1.

More on race week: our guides to the marathon week events and the Bronx course change.