The New York City Department of Transportation on Tuesday held a virtual Q&A session on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway rehabilitation project, where residents raised concerns about its impact on parks, pedestrian pathways and traffic — and questioned whether the highway should be rebuilt at all.
In August, Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a roughly $4 billion plan to fix a crumbling stretch of the BQE, including the triple cantilever beneath the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The plan includes building temporary roadways to keep the highway operable during construction and avoid sending traffic onto local streets.
DOT recently released new renderings of the temporary highways, first reported by Streetsblog, that show where the bypasses would go.
The first temporary bypass would travel over Furman Street from Atlantic Avenue to Columbia Heights at the same elevation as the existing highway, preserving two-way traffic. The second bypass, for Queens-bound traffic only, would run from Columbia Heights to just before the Manhattan Bridge, routing directly above the Brooklyn Bridge approach. Both bypasses would be removed after construction is complete.
Tiffany-Ann Taylor, DOT’s chief strategy officer, called the design “the most conservative proposal” the city has put forward but stressed that it isn’t final. DOT engineers are still studying other alignments and ways to lower some of the bypasses, she said.
A major concern among residents is the project’s impact on the promenade. Dumbo resident Lara Zizic, who has walked dogs along “every foot of the promenade,” said she’s still confused about how the work will affect it.
Taylor said the agency is working to keep at least a portion of the promenade open at all times. “As long as it is safe and feasible throughout the construction life of this project, we are maintaining access to the promenade,” she said. “We have heard folks over and over that it is a really important open space to the community and to visitors alike, so we have committed to that.”
Work would move along the promenade several spans at a time, either north to south or south to north, said Matt Kusy, an engineer on the project.
The promenade isn’t the only public space in the project’s path. Squibb Park, Hillside Dog Park and Harry Chapin Playground would all be temporarily affected, according to DOT. Harry Chapin Playground would be removed during construction and rebuilt afterward, the agency said.
At least one change wouldn’t be temporary. A corner of Squibb Park would be permanently taken to make room for a rebuilt overpass in the Columbia Heights area, according to Kusy, who described it as “minor permanent alienation.”
The city can’t use parkland for anything else, even temporarily, without approval from Albany, a process known as “parkland alienation.” That means state lawmakers will have to sign off on both the temporary use of the parks and the permanent loss of part of Squibb Park.
Several residents raised concerns about being “stuck” between construction zones. With three major projects underway — the Watchtower project at 25–30 Columbia Heights, the BQE rebuild and the Brooklyn Marine Terminal development — the waterfront from Dumbo to Red Hook could see years of overlapping construction.
Debra Tackney, a member of the Columbia Street Waterfront Association, said her neighborhood already struggles with gridlock traffic “on a continuous basis.” With potential congestion from both the BQE rebuild and BMT project, “our quality of life is being impacted on both fronts,” she said.
Those who live at the border of Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, near construction zones for both the Watchtower project and the BQE repairs, face a similar issue. Barry Harbaugh, who lives on Old Fulton Street, said the construction could affect his kids’ commute up the hill to PS 8. “Especially with the Watchtower construction, it just seems like we’re going to be totally stuck.”
Another issue is the timeline: 10 years is a long time to live near a construction site, residents argued, and it may end up taking longer. Taylor said 10 years is DOT’s best estimate but doesn’t account for potential delays from land use review or lawsuits. She also acknowledged criticism of DOT’s use of the word “temporary” to describe the bypasses. “In this instance, it’s a long time temporary,” she said, adding that the structures are “not designed to be permanent.”
Some residents went further, calling for the city to tear the highway down entirely. Resident Andrew McLaughlin pointed to Robert Moses, who built the BQE.
“The original sin here is this horrific act of disfigurement that plows through Brooklyn and Queens, chokes our neighborhoods with pollution, threatens our children with traffic violence,” he said. “It’s a tremendous mistake, and I personally feel a deep sense of betrayal that this administration is proceeding with an extension of the life of this horrific act of violence on the city of New York.”
DOT officials framed the rebuild as overdue and unavoidable. The cantilevered section opened in 1954 with a 50-year design life. At more than 70 years old, it’s “beyond its design life,” Taylor said. “It is not at a failure, but we do not want to get to that point in time.”
Heights Happenings
The Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse is in full swing. A cohort of 19 designers transformed the 1850s Greek-Italianate mansion at 1 Monroe Place for the biennial event, which opened last week. The showhouse will be open to the public until Sunday, Nov. 1, with opening hours on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The lineup of events includes mahjong open play sessions, trunk shows and a panel with The Brownstone Boys.
More BQE meetings ahead. DOT will hold another virtual Q&A on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m., and there’s a town hall on the project on Thursday, Oct. 29, with details to come. Public scoping meetings follow on Tuesday, Nov. 10 (in person, location TBA) and Thursday, Nov. 12 (virtual), and written comments on the draft scope are due Monday, Nov. 23. You can submit them through an online comment form, by emailing BQECentral@dot.nyc.gov or by mail. Details here.
Lantern is becoming Khiao Savoey. The owners of Lantern plan to reopen the space as Khiao Savoey, a Thai restaurant, according to a liquor license application filed with Community Board 2. A menu filed with the application lists classics like pad thai and green curry alongside specials such as lobster tail and soft-shell crab.
Darling is hosting a parent workshop. Parenting coach Maura Eden will lead “SPOT ON! Finding Your Focus in the Family Dance” at the Atlantic Avenue children’s store on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets here.
A pet pop-up is coming to L’Appartement 4F. Pet apparel brand Fren is doing a one-day pop-up at the bakery on Montague Street on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be complimentary pup cups, custom embroidery and mini prints by Cait’s House.
Both sides of Remsen? A resident is asking CB2’s Transportation & Public Safety Committee to allow parking on both sides of Remsen Street between Hicks and Henry streets. Right now the north side is legal only on Tuesdays, and the south side every day but Tuesday, so only one curb is ever legally parked. The proposal would copy Joralemon Street’s setup: both sides are parkable, with a 1.5-hour street-cleaning window on each side. The committee is scheduled to consider it tonight.
It’s Banned Books Week. Books Are Magic is hosting a panel on how to protect the freedom to read at the Brooklyn Heights Library tonight from 6 to 7 p.m. The panel will feature the NYCLU’s Executive Director Donna Lieberman, school library media specialist Karissa O’Reilly, PEN America’s Freedom to Read Senior Manager Philomena Polefrone and authors Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul and Rhonda Roumani. Books Are Magic is also putting free copies of banned books in its Little Free Library near its Smith Street location all week.
Montague Open Streets is going western this weekend. There will be a hoedown with Hopalong Andrew, the “countrified king of New York City’s family entertainment scene,” and square dancing on Sunday, Oct. 11 from noon to 4 p.m.
Salter House released a schedule of fall events. The lineup includes a live podcast recording with Mandylion Press on Thursday, Oct. 15; a lecture on “Frankenstein” on Thursday, Oct. 29; a book launch of “These Long Shadows: Women’s House Museums in the American South” on Thursday, Nov. 5; and a celebration of “Needlebound,” a zine about the online fiber arts community, on Thursday, Nov. 12. All events are from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Picture Room at 117 Atlantic Ave.
Meet your street trees. At a City of Forest Day tree care event last weekend, an organizer shared the New York City Tree Map, where you can learn more about the trees in your neighborhood — the type of tree, inspection results, tree care activity and ecological benefits. (This pin oak on Pineapple Street provides $402.65 in benefits each year, according to the Tree Map.)
Min Jin Lee’s “American Hagwon” is the Brooklyn Heights Association’s next book club pick. The BHA Book Club will be discussing the “Pachinko” author’s latest novel at Vineapple in mid-November. You can buy a copy for 20% off at Books Are Magic if you mention the BHA Book Club. Book club tickets will go on sale later this month.
The Service Collective is hosting a community dinner with newly arrived refugee families. The community welcome dinner will take place at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church at 157 Montague St. on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The Harvest Festival returns. Brooklyn Bridge Park’s annual fall festival is coming back to Pier 6 on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a mini pumpkin patch, arts and crafts stations, a Dolly Parton cover band and other activities.
Nearby News
Old Fulton Street has a new name. The street in Dumbo has been renamed Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way to honor the husband-and-wife duo who brought their coal-fired pizza to the neighborhood in 1990.
One of the country’s biggest landlords is accused of a $40M rent overcharge in Downtown Brooklyn. Rent-stabilized tenants in three Downtown Brooklyn AvalonBay buildings sued the landlord Monday, alleging they were illegally overcharged $40 million, Crain’s reported. The suit follows an investigation by tenant watchdog Housing Rights Initiative.
An NYPD officer ran a red light and hit a cyclist in Boerum Hill on Monday. The officer, driving an unmarked car on Atlantic Avenue, went through the light at Hoyt Street around 5 p.m. while four cyclists and six pedestrians were already crossing, according to witnesses and security footage obtained by Streetsblog. The cyclist was taken to the hospital.
An old firehouse has a new purpose. After sitting empty for more than 20 years, the Engine Company 204 firehouse on Degraw Street in Cobble Hill is becoming a home and music school for the Noel Pointer Foundation, a nonprofit that offers string music education to underserved New York City youth, Brooklyn Paper reported.
Seven Wonders Collective is having a Japanese selvedge denim pop-up. The vintage store at 398 Atlantic Ave. is selling vintage denim from Bek Res for the month of October.
Roebling Rink is coming back next month. The ice skating rink in Brooklyn Bridge Park will return on Saturday, Nov. 14 and run through January 2027. Tickets and details coming soon.
Collier West is turning 15. The home goods store is having a 15th anniversary party on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. at all three shops.
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