NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $4 billion plan to repair a city-owned stretch of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, arguing that it needs action after decades of neglect.
“The infrastructure is 20 years past its design life and deteriorating under the weight of 130,000 vehicles every day — more than double the capacity for which it was designed,” the mayor said in a statement on Monday.
The 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) stretch of highway between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street is one of the busiest and most congested in the city. The plan calls for fixing aging concrete and the triple cantilever section, as well as creating temporary roads to avoid pushing traffic onto local streets.
“After decades of kicking the can down the road and indecision that failed to yield substantial results, we will act with urgency to rehabilitate the City’s portion of the BQE to ensure the safety of New Yorkers and minimize the likelihood of massive traffic diversions into Brooklyn neighborhoods,” said Mike Flynn, the city’s transportation commissioner.
The project will break ground in 2030 and is expected to take 10 years to complete. The repairs will extend the life of the BQE for 40 years, Mamdani added.
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