Officials Announce Plan To Preserve Crumbling BQE For Another 20 Years

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Mayor Bill de Blasio and officials announced a plan Wednesday morning for the crumbling Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

The mayor said the overarching plan involves limiting oversize trucks, using waterways to transport freight, and more.

Officials say they will reduce the lanes from three to two, which will reduce the weight load and make driving safer. Traffic volume would be lessened by 11%, officials said.

They also announced a specific plan to preserve the cantilever for another 20 years. It involves resurfacing and waterproofing the structure.

MORE: Experts Propose Shrinking Brooklyn-Queens Expressway To Combat Traffic

Officials said their plan isn’t just limited to one specific stretch of the BQE, but rather focuses on reimagining the entire corridor.

Web Extra: Brooklyn Heights Association On Community Impact 

Officials has previously been considering two options offered by an engineering and design firm. One would turn the BQE into a capped street-level highway with an extension of Brooklyn Bridge Park going over the road.

The second option would turn the expressway into a three-mile tunnel.

MORE: NYPD Begins Issuing Fines For Overweight Trucks On The BQE

The capped highway was estimated to cost $3.2 billion, while the tunnel could run up to $11 billion.

WATCH: City Council Considers BQE Changes:

Back in 2018, the city pitched a controversial proposal that would have replaced the promenade with a temporary six-lane BQE bypass.

 

from CBS New York https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/08/04/officials-announce-plan-to-preserve-crumbling-bqe-for-another-20-years/
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