Trucks Blocked From Downtown New York as Strike Continues

December 22, 2005 8:05 AM, EST

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s New York City's mass transit strike entered its third day Thursday, commercial trucks continued to be banned from entering Manhattan south of 96th Street from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., city officials told Transport Topics.

Striking transit workers agreed to take steps to go back to work while their union and the transit authority resume negotiations, news services reported Thursday.

he ban on trucks is part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's (R) contingency strike plan, officials told TT. It also prohibits heavy-duty trucks from traveling through the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels during the same hours.

eanwhile, New Jersey acting Gov. Richard Codey (D) and New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere launched a contingency plan for the state that includes a staging area for commercial trucks affected by the ban at the tunnels.

he city's transit strike began Monday when contract negotiations between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Transport Workers Union fell apart.