The New York Department of Transportation is going public with plans to reconstruct the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE). Based upon information discussed at a public meeting held on June 23rd, it appears the acquisition of the historic row houses near Willow and Middagh streets will no longer be necessary, although numerous other properties would still be affected. While many agree that the state has the authority and right to use eminent domain to acquire property in order to reconstruct the structurally deficient highway, there is concern amongst property owners regarding the scope of the project and the sizeable amount of property that could be acquired.
Project Study Area
Project Limits and Need:
NY DOT is planning on reconstructing the BQE/I-278 from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street which will include the construction of a triple cantilever structure within the Brooklyn Heights Historic District in Kings County.
The BQE was constructed in 1954 with a lifeline of 50 years. The highway consists of narrow lanes with no shoulders, and short merge distances near on and off roads that fail to meet current highway design standards. Additionally, given the amount of vehicles utilizing this stretch of the road, the highway is at or over capacity for this highway during most of the day.
Based on the observed conditions of this segment of the BQE/I-278, the NY DOT has identified three major areas of concern:
- Infrastructure Deterioration
- Nonstandard Features, including Vertical and Horizontal Clearance Issues
- Safety and operational Concerns
Schedule and Documents:
According to the NY DOT website, construction is projected to start sometime in 2017, which means property acquisition will likely not begin until 2015. Adam Levine, director of public affairs for the NY DOT at the New York City office, has stated that even these dates are not set in stone: “There is no construction schedule because we don’t have a project. We’re putting concepts on paper.” Before NY DOT sets any dates they will be identifying and analyzing alternatives and completing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Listed below are a handful of public records we received after filing a Freedom of Information Request. Most of these documents detail proposed highway alignments (all PDF files):
X73056-BQE Draft_Scoping_Document_June09
CONSTRAINTS_REHABILITATION_BOARD
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The above PDF files are behind a password; may I see them?
Sorry about that, they shouldn’t have been password protected. I’ll upload them again so everyone can view them. I can also e-mail them to you.
I just sent them in 3 separate e-mails. If you don’t see them in your inbox, check your spam folder.