New plan for NYC’s BQE involves temporary roads: Mamdani

Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a plan on Monday to repair and strengthen the existing Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) Central structure, which has been under strain for years. The project does not involve a full rebuild of the 1.5-mile section, but rather extensive repairs to ensure the highway remains functional while allowing traffic to continue moving.

An alternate temporary roadway will be constructed to bypass certain areas, allowing vehicles to keep moving in the right-of-way that connects traffic from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge across Staten Island to key highways serving Long Island and other routes north into the Bronx, upstate New York, and New England. This temporary bypass would be removed after the project is completed.

The plan estimates that 13,000 to 14,000 heavy-duty trucks use the BQE Central section each day. The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to "fix deteriorated parts of the structure, including repairs to the highway deck, walls, joints, and other structural elements," as well as address drainage, railings, and lighting.

The two lanes of the BQE Central will remain unchanged, as will the current interchanges. However, a temporary two-level bypass will be constructed for some locations, traveling over Furman Street, which is one block east of the BQE. There will also be a bypass traveling above the existing BQE north of the Furman Street bypass. The city stated that these temporary roads would be removed after the project is finished.

The work is expected to extend the life of the BQE Central by 40 years. However, the city noted that the project "maintains the option for future reenvisioning of the full BQE corridor." Mamdani emphasized the urgency of the repairs, stating that every year the project is delayed, it costs the city $160 million.