Dear Neighbors - A few days ago, the BHA, along with 15 other community-based and city-wide organizations serving thousands of New Yorkers in the North, South, and Central sections of the BQE corridor sent a letter to city and state officials to make our position on the current state of planning for the BQE very clear. Although we hope you will take time to read the entire letter, in a nutshell, the BHA and our co-signers believe unequivocally that the concepts, designs, and fundamental car and truck – centric approach to this project do not meet the expectations or needs of the impacted communities, our city as a whole, nor the warming planet. Rather than take the opportunity to rethink mobility to meet our health, climate, and economic development goals, the proposed “BQE Central” highway rebuild will cost billions to merely recreate the highly problematic infrastructure of the past—while taking large parts of Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Promenade out of commission for years. And to be clear, our objections are not made just out of concern for what happens in our own backyard -- the city and state's failure to consider meaningfully reducing both the infrastructure and footprint of the BQE across the corridor will doom all of the BQE-adjacent communities to live with this highway directly in their midst for generations to come. Our letter makes four main asks: 1. Take immediate action to prolong the life of the Triple Cantilever - but invest in needed repairs only to the extent necessary to prolong the life of the structure while a comprehensive BQE plan can be developed. 2. Acknowledge that any long-term BQE planning must be part of a holistic, corridor wide transformation. New York City and New York State must come together to create a new, multi-stakeholder, governing body that has the authority and vision to manage the necessary planning. 3. Immediately begin implementation of traffic demand management strategies. Various recommended strategies include closing selected BQE on/off ramps and the implementation of HOV lanes to reduce traffic demand on the BQE. We support the efforts already underway to move freight more sustainably throughout the city. 4.Secure available federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act for improvements in public transit. Many users of the BQE, especially drivers in single occupancy vehicles, could be encouraged to use public transit instead if it was convenient and efficient. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback, and appreciate this community's deep and thoughtful engagement with this issue. Best wishes,
Lara Birnback
Executive Director |
