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While work on the BQE commences, motorists should be expected to experience substantial delays and are encouraged to take public transportation.
By Michael V. Cusenza
The City Department of Transportation has begun previously announced work along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in Brooklyn to extend the life of the cantilever roadway.
The agency noted that it has shifted lane markings on the BQE from Atlantic Avenue to the Brooklyn Bridge from three to two lanes in both directions. Motorists should be expected to experience substantial delays and are encouraged to take public transportation, while trucks and essential vehicles should explore alternative routes, and prioritize the use of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and the New Jersey Turnpike.
This work will immediately reduce weight on the roadway, promote safety by providing dedicated exit and entrance lanes, and provide an adequate shoulder that will minimize impacts from incidents. The City is focused on continually maintaining and preserving the existing structure as the work begins and working with all stakeholders to develop a long-term, community-based vision for the entire corridor.
“During this necessary work on the BQE, we strongly encourage drivers to seek alternate routes and use public transportation. This lane remarking may be inconvenient for some, but it is essential to making the road safer immediately and for decades to come,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman.
Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gutman released a comprehensive plan to extend the life of the BQE cantilever for at least another 20 years, while reimagining the corridor for a long-term future with less reliance on large, diesel trucks. The four-part plan focuses on preserving the structure; executing immediate and ongoing maintenance; expanding monitoring and enforcement; and developing a long-term, community-based vision for the entire corridor.
The long-term vision for the busy expressway includes:
- Throughout the summer and fall, the City will engage affected communities from Staten Island to Queens, including businesses and the freight industry, on a corridor-wide vision for the long-term future of the BQE.
- As discussed in Delivering New York: A Smart Truck Management Plan for New York City, the City will better manage the last leg of the freight supply chain, especially during the most congested times of day, by incentivizing off-hour deliveries, freight consolidation, and cargo bike deliveries. The plan also outlined ways the City will promote and incentivize the use of safer, cleaner vehicles and technology by expanding the NYC Clean Truck Program.
- By working with freight and distribution companies, the City can make significant shifts from truck to water or rail movement of goods (up to 20 million truck miles eliminated annually) to diminish congestion and better air quality.
“Brooklyn’s only interstate highway, the BQE-278 corridor will cost billions to repair, reimagine and replace, and federal infrastructure funding will be key. But we have to get it right. Buying time now — by making needed repairs, lessening the heavy loads and putting in place ongoing monitoring to ensure it remains safe — is crucial as we engage communities along the corridor to find the best answers for a 21st Century solution,” said U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan). “I want to thank the mayor and DOT commissioner for a path forward.”
