As the president prepares to hit the Big Apple, New Yorkers prepare for a day of commuter headaches.

Nearly one year removed from his own election, President Barack Obama is dashing into campaign mode again, devoting coveted time toward getting Democrats elected in November and generating cash for his party in 2010.

At separate events in New York City, the president will raise money both for Bill Owens, a Democrat trying to win a special election in an upstate New York congressional district, and for the Democratic National Committee. The national party fundraising event alone is expected to generate between $2 million to $3 million.

Beyond a $30,400-per-couple dinner for the DNC, Obama will attend a health care rally with tickets starting at $100. His comments at that event will be pumped live via webcast to house parties around the nation, where supporters plan to call voters and ask them to lobby Congress to pass a health care reform bill.

Obama’s New York sprint also includes a visit with counterterrorism workers to thank them for their efforts. By holding an official event along with his fundraising, Obama dramatically reduces the cost of presidential travel that’s charged to the political campaigns. Taxpayers pick up the rest of the tab.

The Manhattan based NYPD-FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is widely credited with busting the terror plot allegedly masterminded by suspect Najibullah Zazi. Tuesday, President Obama is expected to drive home the point that the unit’s work has not gone unnoticed.

As is the case with any presidential visit, security will be tight, with several street closures and detours sure to bring midtown traffic to a screeching halt.

GRIDLOCK-SAM FROM THE NY DAILY NEWS REPORTS:

Gridlock alert for the afternoon rush Tuesday as President Obama lands at JFK around 3:30 p.m. His first stop is the Meatpacking District to thank law enforcement officials for breaking up the alleged terror plot a few weeks back. The northbound West Side Highway will be frozen as the motorcade makes its way from lower Manhattan via the Battery Park underpass to Tenth Ave. between 15th and 16th Sts. Freezes will also occur near the South Ferry exit/entrance to the FDR Drive.

Then it’s off to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel around 5 p.m. at Columbus Circle-59th St. for a fund-raising dinner. Drivers on Central Park West, Eighth and Ninth Aves., face a full plate of freezes and heavy security. Please stick with the East Side via Third, Lexington or Park Aves. Transit is still the way to go, but please allot a bit of extra travel time with some buses being temporarily rerouted or delayed.

President Obama’s final stop is Hammerstein Ballroom on 34th St. between Eighth and Ninth Aves. around 8 p.m. with heavy traffic around Penn Station. Afterward, he’ll head to JFK via the southbound West Side Highway for the return flight home. Then it’s early to bed, early to rise as the President returns to the area on the other side of the Hudson Wednesday afternoon.

(Source: WCBSTV / NY Daily News)