Like all of you, we are eagerly awaiting news from the Mayor and the Department of Transportation about plans for the BQE. We've worked hard to keep this important topic in the news, raising it at candidate forums and fundraisers, and encouraging our current elected officials to stay on the case. 

We are very excited to report that significant progress has been made on one important front - the fight to get overweight trucks off the BQE, especially the fragile triple cantilever. 

As many of you know, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and Senator Brian Kavanagh introduced bills last year (respectively A2316A and S2740B) to establish a pilot program that uses weigh-in-motion systems to enforce restrictions on overweight trucks on the BQE. Weigh-in-motion systems record the axle weights and gross weights of vehicles that drive over the site of the system, without the need for the vehicles to stop. The program imposes fines upon the owner of the vehicle for failure to comply with existing weight restrictions. This legislation is extremely important since overweight trucks contribute to the deterioration of the BQE. 

On June 3, the bill passed in the NY Senate 58-4! We will hopefully see a similar success in the Assembly before the end of session on June 10th. Stay tuned.  

We thank our state representatives and staff for working so hard to pass this legislation. We are also grateful to CM Steve Levin and his team, along with staff and officials at NYC DOT who also worked to support the creation and passage of these bills. 

Now, let's get back to work on our vision for a greener, 21st Century BQE that will benefit all our communities!

PS: You can pick up free BQET posters for your windows at the Brooklyn Women's Exchange on Pierrepont Street. 

The MTA is working to upgrade signals on the A/C line and has been using the fans to ventilate the tubes and keep its workers safe. Unfortunately, the resulting noise has been extremely disturbing to residents in the north heights and at 130 Furman Street.

The BHA, along with the management at Pierhouse and our electeds, has been working with the MTA over the past two weeks to find a solution. As a result of our collective advocacy, the MTA's current plan is to shift the fan use from the Furman Street plant over to the Manhattan side, barring any emergency use. The agency is looking into whether this can be a permanent solution for the duration of the work, as well as the possibility of acquiring fan silencers (which are expensive and would take some time to procure). We will keep the community updated as the plan is evolving.

We appreciate the speed and seriousness with which the MTA responded to the community's concerns.