City Controller Scott Stringer accused Mayor de Blasio of failing to weigh his options for the upcoming Brooklyn-Queens Expressway rehab, a $3.6 billion project that’s expected to disrupt motorists and residents for several years.
In a Dec. 17 letter addressed to de Blasio, Stringer says he’s “concerned” the administration’s goal of minimizing construction impacts “has not been honored.”
“The Department of Transportation has failed to engage the surrounding neighborhoods in a substantive manner, has not been sufficiently transparent regarding alternatives to the current project, and has ‘eliminated several alternatives from further consideration’ in a cursory manner,” wrote Stringer..
DOT officials revealed in September they intend to close the iconic Brooklyn Heights Promenade for up to six years to repair a crumbling one-and-a-half mile stretch of the BQE.
In his letter, a copy of which was sent to DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, Stringer asks de Blasio to reconsider his options and suggests the mayor has overlooked how the rehab would interact with other city initiatives.
He demands answers on whether the BQE plan was devised with a new initiative to encourage rail freight use in mind and whether it accounts for the goal of reducing carbon emissions.
A Better Way NYC, a nonprofit focused on alternatives to de Blasio’s plan, praised the missive.
“The controller’s rejection of the city’s ill-conceived plan is a clear call for innovation,” said its spokeswoman Hilary Jager.
The DOT said Team Stringer was recently briefed on the agency’s plan to hold meetings with locals.
“We look forward to a continued collaborative process,” said DOT spokesman Chris Browne.
