Friday, August 31, 2018

BQX somehow became shorter and more expensive

From Crains:

The de Blasio administration today released plans for its Brooklyn-Queens Connector, a streetcar officials envision running along the waterfront between the two boroughs. It has been delayed by complex infrastructure challenges.

The original streetcar was expected to cost $2.5 billion and run roughly 16 miles between Astoria, Queens, and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. But the updated plan calls for a shorter route to Gowanus instead and will cost $2.7 billion. That translates to an increase in per-mile cost from roughly $156 million to $248 million.

De Blasio first announced plans for the streetcar in February 2016. But as officials looked further into potential routes, they found that the rat's nest of underground infrastructure presented enormous potential for increasing costs and would need to be thoroughly studied. As Crain's reported late last year, the problem presented officials with a catch-22: By studying the infrastructure more carefully, the city insulated itself from risk in the event it had to scrap the project, but doing so caused delays and drove up costs.

The original project was supposed to be completed in 2024 and be paid for through property tax revenue as the land around the route increased in value. The updated version of the project is now expected to be operational in 2029 and would require $1 billion from the federal government, according to a report in The New York Times, which noted that the city tax revenues originally thought to be available for the BQX are being spent on other priorities, including affordable housing.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope whoever runs it has FLOOD INSURANCE....Isn't the entire project in a FLOOD ZONE....

Anonymous said...

Why don't they just establish a bus route from Astoria to Red Hook? The MTA already has buses. Let them do a study to see how many people actually use this route before they spend billions of dollars on this project. This could be done immediately instead of waiting ten years to serve the people of Brooklyn. Common Sense isn't very common when it comes to our Mayor.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like they tried to hide the per mile costs by just announcing the total reduced cost and reduced miles. Good work on this article. Another shifty move by the D-Man.

Anonymous said...

>no way to pay for it
>no one wants it
>other transportation needs are more pressing

I hope this doesn't become a "mayoral priority" like bike lanes.

Just Askin' said...

Why do we need this?

Rob in Manhattan said...

This is a monumentally stupid bit of tinsel designed to enhance some shit landlord's and developer's property.

If there is any real need for such a route it could be accomplished in just a few months using buses -at a fraction of the cost.

Not only does the cost/benefit ratio not work on face value but they are adding a unique bit of equipment that has no interchangeability with the rest of the system. Now, they'll have to set up another whole maintenance regime just for that crap project.

Rob in Manhattan

Anonymous said...

Infractructure? You can drill for spilled oil in most of Brooklyn!
See http://www.newtowncreekalliance.org/greenpoint-oil-spill/

JQ LLC said...

The biggest bullshit about the hipshit express is that city officials and the friends of the BQX/Gentrification Industrial Complex and the enemies of working people (which includes chuck schumer's daughter as chair) are still going to hold more studies this shit plan on our taxdollars, which means more seamless lux lunches and dinners in city hall and gracie mansion.

Christ even Deputy Glen said it wasn't feasible, but the what the real estate overlords want and demand...

Anonymous said...

They should get one of those straddling elevated buses on stilts like China. Beats traffic by riding over it. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/business/global/18bus.html