Mayor Pushes Feds on BQE Overhaul, Surprising Locals

"Mayor Eric Adams is urging the federal government to expedite the long-delayed Brooklyn-Queens Expressway overhaul, warning that without immediate action, the city may be forced to impose truck weight restrictions and face massive traffic disruptions. In an October 15 letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Adams asked the feds to publish a Notice of Intent by November 14 to begin the federal environmental review for the deteriorating 1.5-mile stretch of the BQE between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street."

"The mayor called the aging triple-cantilever "a backbone of the regional and national economy" and said further delay "risks consequences to public safety and the regional supply chain." The letter marks a late-term push by Adams to advance the project before leaving office in January. He cautioned that if the city cannot move forward soon, structural issues may force "significant weight restrictions in the short term and permanent closure in the medium term," diverting heavy traffic onto local streets and causing "billions of dollars in economic losses.""

"Local environmental and neighborhood organizations, which have been advocating against the city's plans to overhaul and "potentially expand" the aging BQE, said they were blindsided by the mayor's move to push forward. The groups have yet to receive a substantial response to their May 28 letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, Adams, and state and city transportation leaders, urging them to abandon the NYC Department of Transportation's design plans that would rebuild the heavily used thoroughfare before the official environmental review begins."

Mayor Eric Adams urged the federal government to publish a Notice of Intent by November 14 to begin the federal environmental review for the deteriorating 1.5-mile stretch of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street. He warned that the aging triple-cantilever is "a backbone of the regional and national economy" and said further delay risks public safety and supply-chain consequences. Adams cautioned potential short-term weight restrictions and medium-term permanent closure, which could divert heavy traffic onto local streets and cause billions in economic losses. Local environmental and neighborhood groups said they were blindsided and have not received a substantive response to their May 28 letter requesting abandonment of current design plans before the review begins.

Read at Brownstoner