You can also read the BHA’s newsletters on the BQE and all other issues in our Newsletter Archive
March 5, Brooklyn Daily Eagle covers the Cobble Hill Association’s Town Hall.
February 26, Brooklyn Daily Eagle on the February 25 Public Hearing
February 26, BHA Executive Director Lara Birnback on CBS
February 24, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports on 2 plans endorsed by the City Council
February 3, CBS New York aired a piece questioning how the City can enforce the Mayor’s executive order to fine overweight trucks on the BQE.
January 31, Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports on the Mayor’s Panel Report. So did the Wall Street Journal (subscribers only). The news was also covered by Pix 11, who interviewed BHA’s executive director Lara Birnback, and BHA President Martha Dietz.
January 30, The New York Times focused on the counter-intuitive (but widely accepted) phenomenon that increasing the number of lane does NOT decrease traffic — but that cutting down lanes will. Unfortunately the Mayor, on on January 31 WNYC‘s Brian Lehrer show, did not seem to give credence either to the science or his own expert panel’s recommendations on this issue.
January 29, Comptroller Scott Stringer publishes editorial in the Daily News calling for a reevaluation of the City’s highway infrastructure.
January 9, Politico reports the Mayor’s Panel report is imminent but may focus on means to reduce traffic rather than endorsing a specific solution to the BQE reconstruction.
January 8, 2020, Op-Ed by Michael King in StreetsblogNYC argues for the elimination of the BQE.
December 18, Brooklyn Daily Eagle announces split tolling on the Verrazzano Bridge was included in the House bill approved December 16.
December 16, Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports on Mayor’s Panel leaked report to the Wall Street Journal (read original WSJ on our Facebook page)
November 27, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle covers the Unified Vision Statement the BHA and eleven other organizations sent to the Mayor’s Expert Panel.
November 26, the NY Daily News publishes an Op Ed by JOHN MASSENGALE and JOHN NORQUIST proposing to “Buck the BQE”
October 10, Claude Scales of the Brooklyn Heights Blog reports on AIANY panel discussion on BQE
September 17, NY1 posts a 10 minute piece titled The Brooklyn Promenade: A Monument to Civic Engagement
September 16, Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports that The City Council hired an independent firm to review the BQE plan
July 2, Politico publishes report that Mayor’s Expert Panel is considering repairing triple cantilever instead of rebuilding it.
June 28, Daily Eagle, Daily News and Curbed publish stories on the Mayor’s Expert Panel’s declaration the Promenade Highway is “unfeasible.”
June 27, The Brooklyn Heights Association, the Cobble Hill Association and A Better Way published a joint statement and send it to Members of the Mayor’s Expert Panel, elected officials and Community Boards 2 and 6.
May 28, Mary Frost describes two more BHA alternate plans in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
May 2019, BQE Expert panel posts update on their progress
April 15, Mary Frost summarizes the current BQE reconstruction alternatives in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
April 11, Brooklyn Daily Eagle interviews of Carlo Scissura, Chair of the City’s Panel, reporter Mary Frost, ABW spokesperson Hilary Jager and BHA BQE Task Force Chair Richard Ziegler
April 10, Micheal Kimmelman of the New York Times asks Can New York fix the BQE?
April 4, 2019: Town Hall, Blue Ribbon, and BIG Coverage
TV
Clip 1: CBS News: City Scraps BQE Construction Plans As Packed Town Hall Debates Future Of Aging Expressway
Clip 2: PiX11: BQE construction under review by city officials; town hall held to discuss plans
Clip 3: FOX5 News: BQE reconstruction plans
Clip 4: NY1- BQE Reconstruction Project Poses Traffic Jam of Ideas
Clip 5: CBS News- Finding A New Way To Rebuild The BQE
Clip 6: CBS News- BQE Reconstruction Plan To Be Evaluated
Print/Online
Clip 1: NY Daily News: At packed town hall, Brooklyn Heights residents hear plans to save beloved promenade
Clip 2: Politico- Mayoral hopefuls praise neighborhood’s BQE fight against City Hall (requires PRO subscription)
Clip 3:NY Post- De Blasio names ‘expert panel’ on re-building Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Clip 5: Gothamist- De Blasio Announces ‘Expert Panel’ To Fix This Whole BQE Mess
Clip 6: Crain’s- De Blasio slams brakes on BQE reconstruction
Clip 7: BKLYNER- Local Groups Organize BQE Town Hall, Wed. April 3
Clip 8: Brooklyn Daily Eagle- BQE rehab plan: Share your thoughts at Wednesday town hall
Clip 9: Brooklyn Daily Eagle- City creates expert panel to evaluate BQE reconstruction
Clip 10: Patch- Town Hall Meeting On BQE Reconstruction Plans This Week
Clip 11:AM NY- BQE redesign plans will get another look after heavy criticism
Clip 12: Metropolis- Bjarke Ingels Group Makes Its Own Proposal for Brooklyn’s Looming BQE Repairs
Clip 13: Brooklyn Heights Blog- Quick Takeaways From Tonight’s BQE Town Hall
Clip 14: Dezeen- BIG unveils park-covered highway for Brooklyn’s waterfront
Full articles
CBS News- BQE Reconstruction Plan To Be Evaluated Carlo Scissura, President & CEO of the New York Building Congress, spoke about the review panel that will evaluate how to reconstruct the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
CBS News- Finding A New Way To Rebuild The BQE CBS2’s Natalie Duddridge has the latest on a town hall meeting looking for plans on how to handle reconstruction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
CBS News: City Scraps BQE Construction Plans As Packed Town Hall Debates Future Of Aging Expressway NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – There’s been months of debate over how to best fix the BQE which is still in need of major repairs.
March 20, 2019, Mary Frost of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle describes an alternate plan by Mark Baker for a buried highway which expands the park and turns the triple cantilever over to pedestrians and cyclists.
March 13, 2019, Gothamist publishes article on Scott Stinger’s proposal for trucks only on a stretch of the BQE from Carrol Gardens to Dumbo. BHA executive director Peter Bray calls proposal “the type of creative thinking required to consider how New York City can transform the BQE from infrastructure built for our transportation needs of the 1950s to addressing instead those needs in the context of the changes and challenges we will face over the next 50-75 years. We are thrilled that his proposal is getting an enthusiastic reception from community organizations, other stakeholders and elected officials who have seen it.” Crain’s New York quoted Executive Director Peter Bray as well: “It is a plan with a traffic-management solution that goes hand in hand with engineering solutions.”
March 12, 2019, NY1 aired a segment on the BQE reconstruction featuring executive Director Peter Bray.
February 28, 2019, Brooklyn Paper article by Kevin Duggan about closed doors meetings DOT is scheduling with community boards and small groups of residents.
February 27, 2019, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published three excellent articles on our Annual Meeting: BQE Concerns Headline of BHA Annual Meeting, BHA Panel Asks: Who is Planning Brooklyn’s Future? and BHA Presents Community Service Awards
February 25, 2019, Cross Downtown Brooklyn Tunnel Idea Revived, by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s Mary Frost.
February 20, 2019, DOT retracts their inaccurate characterization of the BHA’s Alternate plan, as reported by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
February 7, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published this interview of Marc Wouters, “the Man Behind the Plan.”
February 5, New York Landmarks Conservancy and six other preservationist and civics groups, representing approximately 40,000 members and supporters sent this letter, to DOT. New York Post and Curbed covered the story.
February 4, Brklyner covers the story, focusing on the flyover the DOT would be building over the Brooklyn Bridge, should they use the Promenade Highway solution, and highlighting the BHA’s alternative concept.
February 1, Brooklyn Paper and Brooklyn Heights Press publish articles on our alternative concept. Unfortunately a DOT spokesperson was quoted in the Brooklyn Heights Press describing our proposal inaccurately. Unlike the DOT’s Promenade Highway, we have NOT planned a structure that passed over the Brooklyn Bridge. At the intersection of the BQE and the Brooklyn Bridge, we proposed traditional lane by lane construction which would keep traffic where is is currently being routed. DOT retracted that claim on February 20th.
January 30, the Gothamist posted an article which does a nice job describing the history of this section of the BQE.
January 29, Crains publishes a piece focusing on the flyover shown in a rendering commissioned by A Better Way NYC This was also the focus of a January 28 piece in the NY Post
January 28, Andrew Carr, an artist who founded an art school in Park Slope, published this video on You Tube to support our fight against the Promenade Highway. A second video he posted gives a history of this portion of the BQE
January 24, article in the New York Times, highlighting the BHA’s alternate proposal. Curbed followed up with their story.
January 17, the Brooklyn Eagle reports on a heated coffee klatch at one of Jo Anne Simon’s “Java with Jo” meet ups.
January 16, CBS segment on the BQE, featuring an interview with executive Director Peter Bray.
January 12, the rally on the Promenade initiated by Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office was covered by the Brooklyn Eagle and the New York Post.
January 8, journalist Mary Frost from the Brooklyn Eagle gave this interview on Chanel 13, during which she discussed the disastrous environmental impact the Promenade Highway would have on our community. We should note that although she described our bypass highway as being on Furman Street, our plan calls for it to be ABOVE Furman street at the same level as the current lanes of the BQE.
January 7, 2019, in view of the MTA’s announcement of a new approach to repairing the L Train tunnel, the BHA sent a letter to DOT Commissioner Trottenberg asking for an independent blue ribbon panel of experts to re-thinking DOT’s approach to the BQE reconstruction project.
December 21, 2018, key elected officials – Comptroller Scott Stringer, Representative Nydia Velazquez, Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Jo Ann Simon and Council Member Stephen Levin sent a joint statement to DOT demanding that the Administration fully consider all plausible alternatives, including the concept for a Parallel Highway advanced by the BHA.
December 17, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer sent a letter to Mayor Bill De Blasio concluded with a firm request that the Mayor “make every effort to devise a plan that reduces the impact on local residents, homes and properties, open spaces, and landmarks” and that the “planning … be carried out in conjunction with neighborhood representatives….” (See the Daily News coverage)
October 19, News 12 aired this story.
September 27, 2018, DOT presented its two approaches to the BQE reconstruction. The presentation includes narration and the complete videos of the proposed design options. You can also download their press packet. According to DOT, due to the high attendance at the public meeting and the agency’s priority to field questions from the public, abbreviated versions of the videos were shown at the meeting.