The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) on Thursday unveiled new design concepts for the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) in Brooklyn, which include shortened pedestrian crossings, adding protected bike lanes, pop-up markets underneath the expressway and other improvements.
The agency released a 154-page report titled BQE North and South: Safe, Sustainable, Connected, which includes a range of proposals, from streetscape and intersection redesigns to the creation of new plazas and improvements to bus infrastructure, according to a press release.
It also suggests capping the BQE Trench in Williamsburg and repurposing space beneath the elevated highway for markets and community hubs. The agency also said there needs to be better lighting underneath the expressway and bike parking.
“The bold concepts outlined in this report would invest in working-class neighborhoods and reconnect communities long-divided by the Brooklyn Queens Expressway," DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi highlighted the community-driven nature of the initiative.
“Today we are further than ever before, with big ideas in hand to reconnect communities along the north and south corridors of the BQE -- directly from impacted communities," she said.
Funded by a $5.6 million federal Reconnecting Communities planning grant, the project will also involve further feasibility studies and public feedback. The DOT plans to implement several proposals starting this year and continue collaboration with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) on future projects.
The report reflects input from over 2,600 participants in workshops and surveys and is seen as a crucial move toward reimagining the BQE for future generations, the press release said.
