On Thursday January 25th, we learned that USDOT did not provide any funding for NY City and NY State's "BQE Central" grant application submitted under the MEGA program. This $800 million ask would have directed federal funding towards what we, and many others, believe is a fundamentally flawed approach. 

We believe our advocacy played a meaningful role in the rejection of this proposal.

Only days before the decision was announced, Resources for the Future, a Washington D.C. based non-profit focused on the environment, energy and economic research published a very thoughtful article on the BQE and the stakes facing the decision makers at USDOT called, "A Tale of Two Highway Plans." The BHA spoke extensively with the post's authors about the BQE prior to publication in addition to sharing our point of view directly with FHWA officials earlier this year. 

Now, we strongly urge the city and state to recognize this moment as an opportunity to proceed with a plan that’s cheaper, more sustainable, more equitable, and that comes with community support. The core elements of that plan are:

1. Repair the existing crumbling Triple Cantilever portion for the next twenty or so years by waterproofing it and replacing key spans.  Such a plan is projected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars rather than billions of dollars.

2. Mitigate neighborhood traffic by closing selected on- and off-ramps, redesigning neighborhood streets to prioritize pedestrians and public and active transit, and use technology to manage and enforce traffic rules. 

3. Invest heavily in sustainable freight transportation and public and active transit to reduce demand for the highway. Tax dollars would be far more efficiently spent funding the 14-mile Interborough Express train that would connects Brooklyn and Queens for roughly the same cost as the 1.5 mile “BQE Central”. 

4. Start planning now for the transformation of the entire highway with a holistic and corridor-wide community-led process, and a governance structure that mitigates issues of jurisdiction.

The BHA and its coalition partners BQET and BQE-EJC look forward to this opportunity to work with NYCDOT and NYSDOT on a new approach to the BQE.

On Monday, a wall at 181 Atlantic Avenue collapsed. The collapse did not result in any injuries thankfully, but did cause damage to 179 Atlantic Avenue, the home of one residence and the shop Collyer's Mansion. There is also concern about improper asbestos removal at the site. 179 Atlantic is a designated landmark within the Brooklyn Heights Historic District.

The Atlantic Avenue BID and the BHA co-signed a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission demanding improved oversight during construction of this and any other historic buildings in our neighborhood to prevent incidents such as this. 

Photo Credit:  Mary Frost for Brooklyn Daily Eagle