Fast-Tracked BQE Reconstruction Passed In State Budget

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY — The state allowed a plan to fast-track the reconstruction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, avoiding a truck ban on sections of the roadway, in their budget that passed last week, lawmakers announced.

The budget authorized the project's design and build work to be bid on and completed by the same contractor — instead of the usual splitting them up. The city previously warned that failure to approve the process, known as design-build, would force them to bar trucks from a stretch of the highway because the roadway became so unstable.

"This is a major victory for Brooklynites, Staten Islanders, and anyone who drives on the BQE," said State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, who pushed for the approval, in a statement.

"The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is a major artery undergoing extensive repairs, which we know will lead to real disruptions for our community. We must do everything we can to ensure that while we’re rebuilding the BQE, we aren’t destroying our neighborhoods in the process."

The Department of Transportation previously said that conditions on a 1.5-mile section of the BQE got so bad they would be forced to push trucks onto local streets if repairs aren't finished by 2026. However, the design-build process would shave two years off the reconstruction, in time to avoid the ban, and save $113 million in costs, the DOT said.

Residents in neighborhoods near the truck ban worried their streets would be inundated by large vehicles kicked off the BQE and a group of elected officials held a rally in front of the highway in February calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to approve the plan.

The authorization for design-build was originally left out of Cuomo's second budget proposal but it was added to the final budget that passed in Albany on Friday.

"Design-build is not a cure-all, but it is a major step forward," Kavanagh said. "I will continue to work with my partners in government and local leaders in Brooklyn to mitigate the impacts of the BQE reconstruction and ensure the BQE repair stays on track."

Image: Kathleen Culliton/Patch