Business owners near Yankee Stadium say the massive construction project on the Alexander Hamilton Bridge — expected to back up George Washington Bridge traffic for five miles into New Jersey — will hurt their bottom line.
“Anybody coming in from New Jersey, if it adds time to their commute, it’s going to cost us money,” said Michael Rendino, general manager at Stan’s Sports Bar.
“The majority of our business is the hour before the game, so anything that affects that will hurt our bottom line.”
This morning is the first day that rush-hour drivers will have to deal with the construction, which began Saturday.
The three-month repair project — along the main route for drivers headed east over the GWB toward I-95 in The Bronx — affects only eastbound drivers.
Some Stadium workers plan to leave home early so the congestion won’t make them late.
“We’ll find out the real deal when it’s Monday gridlock,” said a manager at an eatery in the Stadium.
He said he planned to begin his commute today 30 minutes early.
New Jersey drivers have been advised to use the three Staten Island crossings instead of the GW, and motorists from the north have been encouraged to switch to the