AM New York
The city’s budget crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic could be the death knell that finally derails the controversial $2.7 billion Brooklyn-Queens Connector project.
Public hearings on the state-of-the-art light rail system were set to begin May and June and the city planned to finish a draft environmental impact statement by spring 2021 but that has been postponed during the COVID-19 crisis.
The BQX would connect commuters to 13 subway lines, nine NFY Ferry landings, and more than 100 Citi Bike stations. Critics of the proposal have long-claimed the BQX project was a boondoggle that would line the pockets of waterfront real estate developers and residents and business owners objected to the erasure of 2,000 parking spots along the corridor.
During his COVID-19 briefing on April 29, Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted the proposal would be put on hold during the public health emergency.
“Something like the BQX, which we had just begun a whole phase of environmental review, it’s going to be looked at now with all other major capital initiatives,” de Blasio said. “It will be discussed in the budget process and be part of what we say around the budget in June. It’s a very good example of the kind of thing that now has to be thought of very differently simply for the budget ramifications alone.”
8 comments:
Hopefully the jails will be next to get the axe
Some Good news !
It will be back. 2nd Ave subway took 60 years for a token 3 stations.
Who cares? What a waste of money anyway
200 miles of bike lans or how many they proposed. Not essential any more. Sitting in your car is the best social distancing you can do. Mass transit kills
Bike lanes keep people fit and healty plus help clean the air from fossil fuels.
Win Win bike lanes save lives.
As I waited in line to get into Trader Joes on Metropolitan I couldn't help staring at the over grown tree covered train line that goes over metro there. I know we are talking about the government so logic and actually useful for the people do not apply, but here are tracks and land already owned going through population dense area with few mass transit options and couldn't it be put back in service with a lot less hassle than trying to come up with something from scratch. Believe me when I say that I know that BDB, Big Dumb Bill, and his real estate cronies don't see enough dollar signs to be interested in doing something like that.
BQX can't die soon enough.
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