New Yorkers Brace for Gridlock and Headaches as U.N. Convenes

The U.N. General Assembly brings scores of world leaders to Manhattan’s East Side each year. Residents are concerned about disrupted commutes.

Nuria Flores has lived across from the United Nations headquarters for 12 years. And every year, she said, she dreads the week when world leaders and dignitaries descend on her neighborhood for the gathering of the U.N. General Assembly.

Once, she said, she was stopped by men with machine guns while she was walking her dog. Another year, when she came down with a bad cold and felt faint, she had to rely on food cooked by a neighbor because grocery deliveries to her building were not allowed.

She has often considered moving but then changed her mind once the chaos subsided. “It’s just one week, but it’s a very intense week,” Ms. Flores, 52, said.

The 79th session of the General Assembly will convene on Tuesday, and for the rest of the week Manhattan’s East Side will host more than 100 heads of state and dignitaries. That role is more of a headache than an honor for many New Yorkers who live or work in the neighborhood.

The city’s Department of Transportation designated the week as one of the year’s worst for traffic congestion. Street closures, security protocols and protests will snarl vehicles up and down Manhattan. At a news conference on Friday, Philip Rivera, the chief of the Police Department’s Transportation Bureau, urged commuters to find other ways to get around, like walking, biking or taking public transportation.

Chief Rivera said road closures began earlier than usual this year to accommodate Summit of the Future, one of several events that are part of the U.N.’s “High-Level Week.” The summit, where leaders discussed sustainable development goals, ran from Sunday to Monday.