We Made the List! (Unfortunately) 

The BQE was recently named to the United States Public Research Interest Group's (USPIRG) Highway Boondoggles of 2023. According to USPIRG, "year after year, state and local governments propose billions of dollars’ worth of new and expanded highways that often do little to reduce congestion or address real transportation challenges, while diverting scarce funding from infrastructure repairs and key transportation priorities."

The 2023 Highway Boondoggles list highlights seven wasteful highway construction and expansion projects. These projects, slated to cost a total of more than $15.9 billion will harm communities and the environment, while likely failing to achieve goals such as reducing congestion or improving safety. 

The BQE was selected for this dubious honor at the encouragement of the BHA, although in this case, "making the list" isn't exactly a good thing. 

We hope the selection will highlight the folly of the current plans to expand the Triple Cantilever and BQE Central, doubling down on the destructive infrastructure of the past. USPIRG references the August 2023 letter written by the BHA and signed by 15 other organizations and quotes the Congress for a New Urbanism as saying, "As the aging highway crumbles, New York City needs to decide if there’s a better way forward…The transformation of the BQE offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a more livable Brooklyn and Queens and should be seriously considered.”

A New Way, Not the Highway

The newly-announced Brooklyn Queens Expressway - Environmental Justice Coalition (BQE-EJC) released a letter this morning, calling on Governor Hochul and related agencies to work together to “create a comprehensive community-led plan” before moving ahead with major BQE upgrades.

The BHA, along with additional groups in BQE Central, has signed on to the letter and joined the Coalition. 

As reported by Politico, the coalition has the support of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who said people from different demographics in the borough came together because whatever happens with the city-owned section will also affect the north and south sections of the BQE, which runs from the Verrazzano Bridge to Queens.

We are grateful for Boough President Reynoso's support, and for the support and partnership we continue to enjoy from all of our local elected officials on this matter.

We will continue this critical work in 2024 and beyond, and appreciate the very high level of engagement and concern the Brooklyn Heights Community has demonstrated on the BQE.

Read the Politico coverage.