I recommend visiting the web site of the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT). I was very impressed with the easy-to-use site and the useful information one can obtain.
You can visit numerous locations within the 5 boroughs and see real-time traffic information from the 98 traffic cameras. Some are live still images and others are video streams. The above image shows locations within Manhattan. All you do is click on one of the icons to see real-time the traffic conditions at that locale.
Avoiding traffic jams has never been easier.
Go to https://nyctmc.org/ to check it out.