Because it’s going to be a vehicular nightmare.

Mayor Vince Gray announced today at his weekly press conference that starting April 25, the stretch of New York Avenue NE heading east out of the District beyond Florida Avenue NE will be the site of heavy construction as a bridge over rail lines is replaced. The construction will center on a half-mile stretch of the traffic artery, cutting its six lanes down to four over the course of 24 months. Transportation officials said that the 87,000 cars that use the stretch on a daily basis should expect delays of between 15 and 30 minutes each day.

As the Washington Business Journal’s Michael Neibauer tweeted, the construction along New York Avenue joins similar projects on the 11th Street Bridge and 14th Street Bridge, meaning that all the District needs to do is start working on 16th Street to really start screwing with commuters.

If you’re looking for updates on the construction, the D.C. Department of Transportation has a handy website and will be tweeting as the project progresses. And if you’re a commuter that drives in or out on New York Avenue, consider applying for Bridge Bucks — 2,000 commuters will get $50 a month towards transit alternatives, whether bike, Metro or bus.

In other press conference-related news, Gray announced that a $1 taxicab surcharge imposed last weekend as a response to high gas prices will also apply to rides taking passengers outside of the District. (The move comes partly in response to some regulatory confusion and news that D.C. cab drivers were refusing to take people out of the city.) The surcharge will still remain in place until late July, unless the Taxicab Commission decides to scrap it sooner.

Gray also accepted $900,000 worth of bonus awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for “superior service delivery by the District’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” And yes, the two awards were given as oversized novelty checks. (Thankfully, Gray’s Navigator can probably fit the two for the trip to the bank.)

Finally, the fun fact of the day: Gray said he lives alone and has a cat.