BQE lane reduction causes weekend traffic delays
BROOKLYN - Those who take the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Downtown Brooklyn can expect massive traffic backups this weekend and next.
A section of the BQE was narrowed down to one lane as the DOT is installing equipment to monitor the weight of trucks.
The technology is designed to reduce the number of overweight trucks on the highway.
"Weigh-in-motion technology has proven successful along the BQE in areas where it’s installed, leading to a 64% reduction in overweight vehicles along the triple cantilever," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "These limited lane closures are necessary for us to continue to keep overweight trucks off the BQE and we advise drivers to take mass transit or seek alternate routes if possible."
One lane will remain open on the Staten Island-bound BQE for a brief stretch from Adams Street to Washington Street from 1 a.m. on both Saturdays to 5 a.m. each Monday.
During the weekend of Sept. 21-23 only, the Sands Street Entrance Ramp to the Staten Island-bound roadway will be closed.
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 14: Road work begins on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, closing the roadway and creating a traffic jam on the crowded expressway and the surrounding streets, October 14, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York City. (Photo by Andrew Lichten
FOX 5 NY's Duarte Geraldino said underneath parts of the BQE you can already see signs of wear and tear caused by the changing seasons of the salt and chemicals used to treat the highway when it’s icy, to make sure it’s possible and the pressure caused by those overweight vehicles.
A 2021 report issued by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration found overweight trucks and the deterioration of the cantilever could make this section of the BQE "unsafe and unable to carry existing levels of traffic within five years". To buy more time so they can solve the bigger problem, they’re forcing traffic to slow down, frustrating so many drivers.
"Traffic was horrible back there and there were certain people who wouldn’t let in anybody in here, like literally, I’m trying to go in one exit and I couldn’t go, so I had to go to the exit and the next exit was just horrible. Traffic was whack," a driver said.
At one point, traffic slowed down to less than nine mph on Saturday because on a segment of the Staten Island-bound BQE in downtown Brooklyn, thousands of cars were forced to squeeze just through one lane.
"It was horrible. I moved like two exits in an hour," another driver said.
The NYC DOT is urging travelers to avoid this area of the BQE during scheduled closures and to take mass transit.
For more information, click here.