Good Friday on the Brooklyn Bridge

If you use the Brooklyn Bridge and ride mid-day, you might want to avoid it tomorrow. This hit my inbox just now:

A large religious processional is planned for Good Friday on the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn into Manhattan from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.  There will be several thousand participants making it virtually impossible to ride through.

Cyclists heading from Brooklyn to Manhattan should be okay up to 10:45 a.m. if the procession has not arrived at the bridge yet.  Cyclists heading from Manhattan to Brooklyn, however, should not enter the bike path unless they are sure they can be all the way across by 10:45.

The Manhattan Bridge is almost always a better alternative to the Brooklyn Bridge and that will be even more true tomorrow.  Plan accordingly.