Hello, this is a presentation that was shown at the public information meeting
for New York City Department of Transportation's
BQE from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street project. Commissioner Polly Trottenberg,
Deputy Commissioner Bob Collyer and myself, Tanvi Pandya, BQE program manager
presented the information at the Ingersoll Community Houses at 6:00 p.m. on September 27, 2018.
We began by discussing the history of the BQE
Which is a challenging project that was built by Robert Moses in the 1940s and 50s.
Like a lot of the Moses structures it was not built to last and is now showing signs of deterioration.
The structure is complicated and includes many areas where the roadway is stacked or cantilevered
Confined by other buildings and structures and the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge
We're now facing the end of the structure's useful life and must either repair or replace the existing highway
This project spans 1.5 miles of the BQE from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street
As you can see in the pictures the construction included the promenade being constructed
at the same time that the BQE was built and it is integral to the BQE structure.
As some of you know, this project has been around for a few years
New York State DOT was working on this project up
Until 2011 when they suspended the environmental process.
In 2014, NYC DOT added capital funds
To its plan and began working on the project in earnest.
We conducted a review of
options with a panel of experts as well as reviewed the
Possibility of a tunnel to replace the BQE corridor. There was also an origin and destination
Traffic study that tells us where the traffic is coming and going from in this corridor.
In 2016, we completed an in-depth inspection of the whole corridor
This included creating access points within the structure to be able to do
in-depth inspection from within the structure.
What we found is that in 2026, the deterioration will have progressed to a point
where trucks will need be removed from the BQE
After that point the deterioration would continue and by 2036 to 2040
a complete removal of vehicles from the BQE corridor would be anticipated
So with the studies that were completed within the NYC DOT's efforts and the previous information
available from New York State DOT--
NYC DOT began work with a design consultant to develop some concepts.
Now these were done using some of the
parameters that are
Part of the NYC DOT's constraints
153,000 vehicles use this roadway and that traffic capacity
needs to be maintained throughout construction.
Any congestion or slow down in traffic has not only local street impact
but also regional transportation network impacts
We're also looking to generally build within this existing footprint as there are
Other infrastructure as well as historic Brooklyn Heights and parks
Very close to the area
Given that this is a New York City project, We are operating under the constraints of the local control.
For example, we cannot add
tolls or congestion pricing under our authority.
So while the larger conversation may continue and some of these assumptions may be questioned and
reconsidered, the concepts being presented here are
within the parameters that NYC DOT is operating with
So first, let's start with the project corridor and look
at how constrained the site is with Van Voorhees Park at the south end
Atlantic Avenue interchange that we are also looking to improve under this project
The yellow bands that you see on the video here are subway lines that go underneath this the whole roadway across
On both sides you see very tight quarters with buildings with 360 Furman
As well as Brooklyn Bridge Park
At Montague there is a TA facility on the other side on the riverside
so there are multiple TA facilities both underneath, adjacent and inside our structure.
As we continue north we go into very tight quarters under Columbia Heights
Columbia Heights itself is a bridge
It is also our pinch point for vertical clearance as well
as one of the structures that is in the poorest condition out of all the others and it does have a park that sits on
the bridge. As we continue beyond that we go underneath Brooklyn Bridge, which is a very tight portal
There isn't a lot of room to work in this area and the structure between Columbia Heights and Washington Street is also very complex
This is a double cantilever section that has
A lot of varying structure types, and then we have a tight portal again under Manhattan Bridge
So as we were developing the concepts for
Rehabilitation or replacement, We had to keep all of these constraints in mind
And that is how we have
We want to make sure we find a solution that works for this whole corridor.
As we've talked about in the past the
2026 timeline is not that far into the future when you consider the size of the corridor
that we're working against,
The bottom two pictures are of the Joralemon structure
inside and also on the
Visible side of the structure at the top of the deck there are plates
So we are under a time constraint where we need to have addressed the BQE in this corridor
Otherwise, we will be at a point where we have to take trucks off the road off the BQE
which would lead to traffic on local roads
Not surprisingly BQE is one of the heaviest travel roadways if you look at it in comparison
Compared to some of the major projects that we are familiar with
Queensboro Bridge is probably the only other one in this area that has greater vehicles
The percentage of trucks in all of these is also quite high on the BQE. So this makes it quite complex on
Our staging concepts on how to maintain traffic as we move forward
On most projects typically when you stage the traffic
There is a place alongside where one can place
Bypass traffic or you can build on a parallel alignment. In this case here
We do not have space for parallel alignment and
What that means really is that when we are looking at the Staten Island bound and Queens bound traffic
it's not just a matter of detour this traffic completely away from the corridor because when we did our origin and destination study
Which is essentially a study of where is this traffic coming from and where is it headed?
We find that 90 percent of the traffic,
Truck traffic is destined for one of the New York City boroughs
For the Staten Island bound traffic. In the Queen's bound direction that's 70 percent of the truck traffic
The number of vehicles that are coming in and out of Brooklyn that use this stretch is also quite high so
It is not a matter of sending traffic somewhere else, even if some of this traffic could be diverted to other roadways
There are other ways to get to areas point that are to the north or the south
There's a significant amount of traffic that does need this corridor
to get to various businesses and other
Points of connections to Manhattan. So when we talk about the traffic that is
of the local neighborhood, if BQE didn't exist
That traffic would spill to all of the local streets and create a serious gridlock
This is a simulation we ran to see how traffic looks
So right now the first slide shows the traffic as it exists right now, the red being the
heavily used roadways that during the
evening rush hours clogs some of the streets in spite of there being a BQE that takes three lanes of traffic.
If we were to eliminate that
BQE connection in this area between Atlantic and Sands
All of that traffic would have to spill on to the local roadways and as you can see
Several more streets now are clogged and turn red. So this is a scenario
We're trying to avoid and trying to maintain a parallel or a bypass roadway while we work on the main structure
There have been previous conversations around tunnels
and we have looked at it in a little more detail than what was previously
Considered under New York State DOT. If you wanted to look at the whole study it is available on our website
But essentially here are the main reasons why we don't think tunnel can solve the problem of this corridor
Number one there is several subway lines that crisscross this area. So a tunnel would need to be
Aligned in such a way that it doesn't interfere with any of those tunnels.
In addition to the subway tunnels there are
multiple large water tunnels that are part of DEP infrastructure that also need to be avoided
After looking at all of those structures
There was only one alignment that would actually fit in this area
But what that does is completely bypass the Downtown Brooklyn including the connection points to
Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge
There's about fifty percent of the traffic on this corridor that either is coming or going to one of these bridges
Manhattan Bridge or Brooklyn Bridge
So a bypass tunnel would still require
Fifty percent of traffic to get through this area and without BQE they would have to use all the local streets to get around
So that is a major concern
So even with a bypass tunnel, we would still need to maintain this corridor in some form
In addition tunnels are
not only very expensive
They are also somewhat limited in what can be achieved in the current technology
The lrgest tunnel that we could build
That has been successfully completed around the world
It has a diameter of about 54 feet, which only fits two lanes of traffic in each direction
Currently BQE carries three lanes of traffic in each direction and even then is over capacity
So the concept of dropping one lane in each direction and managing the traffic is not realistic
It would be very difficult to make all that traffic fit in the local road network
And one of the other things to keep in mind, is that for a tunnel you essentially have to also build a portal
At each end, there's ventilation shafts and
There would need to be property seizures
In order to create space for these portals and ventilation shafts
So there are some significant challenges with the concept of a tunnel
And while a bypass tunnel could be considered under another project
We're proceeding on this project with the understanding that
No matter what the BQE structure or the corridor needs to be maintained
The other concept that we had looked at is, you know could traffic go somewhere else
Is there another bypass that could be used
And one concept would have been the use of Belt Parkway during construction
However, Belt Parkway is a parkway meaning it was meant for cars.
There are several bridges not belonging to DOT. They are part of the Transit Authority's
infrastructure that have low vertical clearance over the Belt Parkway
So that would be a significant undertaking to raise them high enough that trucks could use Belt Parkway
In addition to the narrow lanes and tight ramps and so on that would need to be modified to make them safe
This would be a huge undertaking and therefore is not considered
Appropriate bypass for the corridor for construction purposes
So going back to what our structure is in the triple cantilever section
There's multiple things that are of concern.
There's limited access due to lack of shoulders. The lanes are narrow
There's vertical clearance issues as well as
Sight distance concerns with the tight curves which lead to higher crash rates,
Up to 10 times higher than the statewide average. These are all
Concerns that we need to address in addition to that
There have been vibration complaints from several buildings that adjoin the
Structure because what holds the roadway up also holds up the slope of Brooklyn Heights
And what holds up the BQE roadways also holds up the promenade itself
So this is one combined structure and needs to be addressed accordingly
We cannot deal with one direction roadway without addressing the entire structural integrity
And while we were thinking about what to do in this corridor
We're taking the opportunity to see what are the greater benefits we can achieve so there are some
concepts that have already been discussed such as
unifying Van Voorhees Park and
Creating a safer Atlantic Avenue interchange while we're in the process of working through this area. We have also been approached
by some community members to have a direct connection from the promenade down to Brooklyn Bridge Park as an
Additional connection point. We have the opportunity to separate the BQE structure from the Brooklyn Heights community
And eliminate the vibration concerns. But the biggest opportunity we have is at the north end where
Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge currently
Have their traffic come down to the local street network and then make their way to
The highway system. If we can make a direct connection from Brooklyn Bridge to
The BQE and similarly at Manhattan Bridge that would relieve significant congestion from the local street and improve the
Pedestrian and bike access and these are some of the goals that we are looking to consider as we develop this
Strategy for this project
Fortunately with all of your support we have been able to get the design-build authority for this project
And while that it will be very helpful in
Ensuring this project moves forward in the most innovative way, we have to work towards creating that environment of
Innovation. Our environmental process needs to be
Structured in a way that it leaves room for the design-build community to come in with innovations.
If we limit the area in which a design builder can work or build very tightly
It doesn't allow them to think creatively and come up with better ways or faster ways of doing things
So one of the thoughts that we had to keep in mind as we move forward is how do we leave room for innovation
That we can get out of harnessing all of the design-build teams that will be competing to win this project
And one other thing to keep in mind is as we move forward there will be times where it will seem
That we are coming out quite a few times with little bits of information and that is the nature of design-build
It's a little more iterative. There will be
Many more conversations who with all of you and and we will keep you informed as we move forward in this process
So one of the main things about this
Design-build and why it was critical to this project is because the way we build in this area is going to be directly
Tied to what we end up with at the end when the construction is over and this is very
Important to understand because there are ways to
Construct that limit the type of structure we will be left with. So we started out with a traditional approach. What is
Typically done, and you might have seen it around the city, is you do one lane
Bypass, do a reconstruction of a lane and then you keep shifting until you've replaced the entire structure
And we found this approach to be slow for this corridor, and we also felt that there was some
Concern with the time and cost
Related to this structure
To this method. And so we look for another way and the other way we've looked at is what we're calling the innovate approach
temporary elevated roadway
This video is an extended version of the BQE
Replacement at the triple cantilevers portion using the incremental method of replacement.
A shorter version was used in the September 27th meeting
Due to time constraints. The work would begin with
Construction of new foundations along Furman Street in the sidewalk area
Once that is completed
New foundations would also be placed along Furman Street along the existing BQE wall and
Traffic would be shifted over in the first lane that's configured at that Staten Island level roadway
During the overnight hours
Progressive demolition and construction would continue at the Staten Island bound roadway level
This requires modification of existing structure, which is a very slow process and could potentially
Land on the duration of this phase depending on condition of the existing structure.
Once that is completed an upper level roadway would be built and then the queens-bound
Traffic can be shifted over to this new bilevel structure that is built along Furman Street.
This condition would exist between Joralemon and just before Columbia Heights.
At that point the existing promenade would be removed and
Sheeting would be placed behind the existing wall, which allows
Removal of portions of the existing retaining wall along Brooklyn Heights for placement of
Foundation elements for the new BQE structure
At that point the soil and the trees behind the retaining wall can be removed so that the
Existing BQE structure can be
Removed and replaced
This requires
Work to retain the existing soil by using soil nailing method
This is just one concept that's been considered and then the new foundations could be built for the new
BQE structure.
Once the foundations and the retaining wall effort is completed,
then the existing bilevel structure can be extended out to the west to the east and
Roadway can be extended and the retaining wall replaced along with the promenade
Under this setup. The promenade could be out of
Availability for up to two years
At that point the traffic can then shift back to the east as the upper level is completed and then
Modifications to the existing structure would be made traffic would shift to its permanent location and the columns would remain in position
for the rest of the structure's life.
So the incremental approach does allow us to get to the roadway width that we need we can get to
Most of the widened lanes and other safety improvements that we're looking for
We would be able to eliminate the vibration concerns that we have
And also
Would eventually replace the promenade by doing some rolling closure
So we would replace portions of promenade until all of the promenade was replaced. But it makes the
Connections to Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge a little more difficult because it requires additional
Complete weekend closures to make sure that those connections can be completed .
The thing with this method of construction
Is that it creates what we call cattle chutes, essentially when you have a concrete barrier on either side and
The traveling is between these kinds of lanes that are
Snaking across a long corridor. It tends to slow the traffic down.
It makes people a little bit nervous
Particularly if there are lane splits and they have to make a decision on which direction to or which lane to be in
Everybody's afraid of missing a exit or something
And so that leads to overall queueing.
Essentially you don't get as much traffic through that corridor as we normally do which leads to
backups at the two ends of the corridor
According to some of the numbers we have run that could lead to up to
12,000 vehicles per day that can't get through that could add up to three miles of impact in either direction.
So the concern with this type of construction is on a few fronts.
One is the cost and on-time completion is a lot less certain
Vertical clearance improvements are a little bit more difficult because
the tight quarters that we're in we are tying to the existing structure
So it essentially ties us to a certain elevation
It requires several complete weekend closures and by weekend closures
we mean Friday night into Monday morning
So that is a significant complete closure of both directions of BQE
There is also a much greater construction activity during the overnight hours, which has its own noise issues.
And also the duration is longer, so the queues and the traffic issues last much longer
One of the things to keep in mind which you can see in the top picture is
The work being done on the existing structure in order to be able to get to this final condition
That's shown in the lower picture
This is work being done on the existing structure every night
During the few hours where there is complete two lane closure available to us should anything go wrong with any of that
Work because we're working with an existing structure
this work could result in delays in reopening the lanes in the morning and that would be a
significant issue because that could lead very quickly to a 12-mile impact in either direction
And that is something to keep in mind when you're doing construction of this nature
This is similar to doing rehab work at home. If you open up a wall and suddenly find a surprise behind it
It has a big impact on the cost and the schedule of what comes next
So this is something that is of concern to us with this type of construction
also, as you would have noticed that the line of
Columns stay along Furman Street all the way down to Atlantic
Meaning they are in the sidewalk in front of 360 and that's a permanent condition
So then what is the option if you can't go to the left you can't go to the right?
You can't go down then the only place to go is up.
And this is where we come up with this elevated roadway concept.
So this is a fly through of what that could look like
So just past Congress Street
We would start off with
Starting to build this bypass that
Is going towards the west to the degree possible
So that we can open up the space for the existing roadway to be replaced. So this would be a complete bypass where all
The existing traffic can be shifted over
It's rising up from that elevation to rise to the promenade level so that
Once the traffic is shifted over we can build underneath it
There are sound barriers that we would obviously be installing alongside the
Residential areas
There are also viewing platforms that could be installed at each of the cross streets to allow for some space for
People who want to visit and see the view and
Then the construction is occurring underneath this roadway
Which gives much more availability
For the contractor to stage, to do the demolition, and most of the work can be done during the daylight hours
Which is much more productive and reduces the construction duration
The promenade continues through the Columbia Heights bridge area
Which essentially is a replacement of the Columbia Heights bridge which then
Beyond Columbia Heights, it would bypass the existing roadway again and
Go over the approach to Brooklyn Bridge
This allows us to build between
Atlantic and Washington in one continuous stage, which is much more productive.
Gives us much more room to modify the alignment both vertically
and horizontally and limits the number of weekend closures to two or less
What this looks like in terms of at
Triple cantilever in a cross section to kind of break down how this construction would occur
Again the construction would start at Furman Street
So along the center of Furman Street
There would be a row of columns installed and because this is brand-new construction we can
Have the aesthetics that we would like to see. Here we have used arch as just a option
But once those supports are built, during overnight hours when we were able to have one lane in each direction
Traffic would be shifted to the lower level and the promenade would be removed at the upper level during those overnight hours
Once that is completed a row of sheeting would be placed behind the existing walls so that the
Support structure along the east side of the
Elevated roadway can be placed
Once that is placed and we can build the superstructure which is essentially the promenade being built ahead of time
Which would be used and set up as a roadway for this phase
Once that is ready the traffic then shifts to that upper level and then construction can begin at the
Existing BQE level. Again because this whole structure is completely separate from the
Existing BQE, there is much greater freedom on how to
Replace this structure
Here we are showing how the existing structure would be removed and we
Are considering using soil nails to replace the supporting structure and
During the daytime hours this construction could be done in a much more expedited manner
We can also put in some incentives for this work to be completed faster and then once they have replaced that
Structure they can go back and replace the green area behind the existing promenade and
Replace the vegetation that was disturbed in the removal of the promenade
So once that is completed
The traffic then moves back down to more or less the existing elevation and the upper level that was used as a roadway is
Reconfigured to become a promenade. We have an opportunity to make it a wider promenade
It can be configured in various ways depending on input from community and and
The vision that we set for ourselves
So the this is a concept of how the elevated roadway would be completed
This video is an extended version of the Columbia Heights staging concept
Under the elevated roadway. The entirety of it could not be included
In the presentation on September 27th due to time constraints.
The work would begin with modification of the Squibb Park as
Well as demolition of the Harry Chapin playground
Construction would begin at the West abutment behind the existing abutment
With the roadway at Columbia Heights close to traffic
During overnight hours when traffic can be maintained as one lane in each direction on the lower roadway
The existing superstructure of Columbia Heights would be removed
During the daytime BQE traffic would revert to its regular traffic pattern
Once the new abutment has been completed during the overnight hours again when traffic is shifted to the upper level
The existing abutment on the west side of the structure would be removed
This allows for widening of the BQE at the lower level
Again with traffic being diverted to the lower level, replacement of the eastern abutment would begin
This would be completed during the overnight hours over a period of time and
Along the same time that the rest of the elevated roadway is being built the
Columbia Heights bridge would be replaced and as a continuation of the elevated roadway
Would be used for traffic during the rest of the phases
Which would include replacement of the BQE
Queens-bound as well as Staten Island-Bound level for the entire corridor
This would include replacement of the on-grade work at the Staten Island bound roadway
With the widening that is necessary to meet the lane widths
As well as replacement of the Queen's bound structure with the wider roadway
With the shoulder as well as 12-foot lanes.
Once the traffic is shifted down to this level on the new BQE, the
Level above would replace, would revert to the Columbia Heights as
It is currently, with the park being replaced as well as an additional open space that could potentially be left in place at
Columbia Heights where it connects into the Brooklyn Promenade currently.
So the concept for the elevated roadway gives us much greater freedom to improve the geometry both vertically and horizontally
We can completely separate the BQE from the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood
We can also get a wider promenade at the end if desired
We have much greater opportunity for better aesthetics of the completed structure
But also the thing that is especially
Attractive about this is that it allows the direct connections to Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge to be completed without additional
Extensive closures. So this would be a significant improvement for the local street
The elevated roadway provides numerous benefits during construction
It reduces a construction duration in comparison to the traditional. It's down to six years
It has much greater certainty of project cost and on-time completion for multiple reasons
One of them being that we have
Much more flexibility in the construction staging sequence since the contractor has the full
Daytime hours and the traffic is not being moved around constantly. If we can
Push the contractor to finish on time and provide incentives to get
Certain specific things done such as reopening the promenade at the earliest and such
Things that would be of benefit to the community
It also causes the least amount of impact to the traffic once the traffic is shifted to the upper level
It can continues in the same configuration for the rest of the construction
It does have some dramatic impact at the
Brooklyn Heights area along the promenade. It does need trees to be removed. But this is similar for the
Traditional, we need to replace the wall that separates the Brooklyn Heights from the BQE
Which causes the trees to be impacted but we are fully committed to
Restoration of the green space
At the end of the project
So here we are showing you what a Brooklyn Bridge direct connection would look like. Currently when someone exits off
Brooklyn Bridge down to Fulton then there's a couple of left turns
You sit through a couple of light cycles because there is always a backup at those lights
There's two lanes turning left before you can get onto Vine Street ramp. Under this concept we could make a flyover
Over Brooklyn Bridge approach over the BQE and then connect back into
BQE Staten Island bound just before it ducks under the Brooklyn Bridge
This would reduce the number of vehicles that are in the local street and also allow us to close York Street ramp because
By redoing Manhattan Bridge ramp connections there are some
Redundant ramps that we can eliminate and create more open space. This would significantly
Improve the traffic on old Fulton and
Pedestrian access to Brooklyn Bridge Park in that area
At Manhattan Bridge again, currently
Traffic exiting off Manhattan Bridge goes to Jay and Sands and then makes a couple of turns to get onto BQE
Under this concept we would be building a direct connection onto
Over the Manhattan Bridge approach
And then connecting into
Both Staten Island and Queens bound direction with a with a flyover ramp
This will allow us to
Reconfigure the existing ramps in a way that will
Open up some of the green space that's locked between some of these ramps and
Also eliminate a lot of the truck traffic that's in this neighborhood. And so that is a significant benefit
We can achieve by making these direct connections. So looking at the two concepts side-by-side
One of the things to be noted is that the elevated roadway can be completed in six years and we have much more certainty of
Getting this done within the six years because of the
Certainty we have with a contractor being able to work during daytime hours versus with the incremental method
Where it could be eight years or more because of the
Work that we have to do on the existing structure and
The work being done during the overnight hours
For significant portions. So if something comes up that is not anticipated it could
Complicate not only the completion but the schedule and the cost go with it
So there's some significant challenges with the incremental method of construction
Promenade and Columbia Heights both need to be replaced
So there would be some time that both of those need to be closed so under either
Circumstances there is a duration where both of those areas would be closed
But the big other
Thing to keep in mind is the
Direct connections to the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge can be completed
Without any additional weekend closures and also the traffic impact is
During the overnight hours for a shorter duration with the elevated roadway
Whereas the incremental method will have major traffic impacts causing spillover into the local streets for much
Longer duration and would be much more difficult to control
Given the uncertainty of working on existing structure
So with the idea of re-envisioning the BQE
We're looking at unified Atlantic unified Van Voorhees Park with improved Atlantic Avenue corridor
Better opportunity to make a direct connection down to the Brooklyn Bridge Park from the promenade
Under the elevated roadway as well as better opportunity to make direct connections to
Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge
Complete separation of the BQE structure from Brooklyn Heights so that we can eliminate the vibration issues and
Overall improve the safety and
Operation of the whole corridor
As we continue through this, this was only the first time that we have discussed this details
Staging concepts with the community, there will be many more conversations ahead
Including the
Formal process that is required under the NEPA
We will be kicking off the NEPA process in the near future and we will be back in touch with you about that
There will be workshops where we can focus on specific
Areas of interest such as parks and playgrounds or the pedestrian bike safety concerns
So there will be many more times that we will be in touch
Over the next couple of years we'll be completing the
Environmental process as well as getting the
Design-build team on board and proceeding with the procurement for that effort
So we thank you for taking the time to hear about our project and we
Request that you stay in touch with our website. We will be putting out any invitations to the
Upcoming events or new information as it becomes public on the website.
You can also send us email via this website
Or get in touch with someone on the staff for any particular concerns that you may have.
www.BQE-i278.com is our website, please visit and stay in touch, thank you.
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