Biden Administration Rejects Application for Grants to Restructure BQE

C.G. Hoffman

In a move disappointing to city planners, the Biden administration has rejected NYC’s application for $800 million in grants for its ambitious plan to reconstruct and redesign the BQE, especially the crumbling triple cantilever section from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street.

The Adams administration had outlined a far-reaching plan to revamp the troubled section of the BQE, with plans to reconnect Brooklyn Heights with the waterfront by reconstruction of the cantilever and by covering it up with greenspace, which depended heavily on federal help. Still undecided was the decision whether to expand the highway from its current four lanes to six.

The plan had met with some opposition, especially by climate activists, who claimed that the city needed less highways, not more, which would just add to congestion and already high air pollution. However, it is common practice for applications to be rejected a few times, until it gets final approval. The DOT clarified that the rejection would not impact the projected timeline of the project, whose completion is projected for 2032.

In the meantime, the city has embarked on a project to reinforce the existing highway and to prolong its lifespan, by reinforcements with new concrete and steel bars. The DOT has also started using automated sensors to enforce weight limits on heavy trucks traveling on that section, with experts estimating that about 11% of trucks on the BQE weighed more than the allowed 80,000 pounds.

There have been many calls to rethink the BQE, with many activists claiming that the structure, designed by the legendary city planner Robert Moses, caused immeasurable damage to the communities, mostly low income, that it runs through. Activists in North Williamsburg have called for overpasses to enclose the highway and for parks to be built over them. Williamsburg has one of the highest rates of asthma in the city, double the citywide average, while at the same time is one of the neighborhoods with the least amount of parkland.