NYC to erect ‘temporary highway’ while rebuilding crumbling BQE

A half-mile section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway has been in disrepair for years, with city officials estimating in 2018 that the roadway may fail in 2026. On Aug. 24, the city announced it will build a temporary highway next to Brooklyn Bridge Park, which will service travelers while the city restores the expressway. “The plan marks the most significant infrastructure decision of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration so far. The crumbling triple-cantilever has vexed the two previous mayors,” Stephen Nessen writes for Gothamist.

The BQE sees 130,000 vehicles per day. The temporary highway, which will have two levels and be the same height as the expressway, will shield travelers from major disturbances while construction takes place.

The New York City Department of Transportation will begin preparing an environmental impact statement for the project next year, and will complete the land review process in 2028. The city will build the temporary roadway in 2030 and begin fixing the expressway in 2032, with plans to reopen the restored section by 2040. 

Officials estimate the project will cost up to $4 billion and will not require federal money, but have not disclosed where funding would come from, Nessen reports. The new section of the expressway is projected to last 40 years and will have improved drainage, railings and lighting.

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