BQE Reconstruction & “Design/Build” is Focus of Brooklyn Heights Association’s Annual Meeting This Wednesday

The Brooklyn Heights Association will hold their Annual Meeting this Wednesday, February 28th from 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm at St. Francis College Founders Hall, 180 Remsen Street.  Robert Collyer, NYC Department of Transportation’s Deputy Commissioner and Chief Bridge Officer, will make a presentation on the BQE rehabilitation project with a Q&A and refreshments to follow.  The meeting is open to the public.

So what is design-build and why is it important for this project? As the BHA describes it on their detailed website, design-build would shave two years off of the desperately needed roadway rehab by skipping an intermediate bidding process and awarding the project to a single entity.  They claim that if the reconstruction of the BQE is not completed by 2026, which can only be achieved if the design-build process is utilized, then 16,000 trucks PER DAY could be re-routed through the neighborhood via Court Street (see map).

So what can you do?  1) Attend the meeting this Wednesday night to learn more.

2) Sign this petition, share it with friends via social media and email:

3) In early February, the BHA held a rally on the Promenade with local officials. They are sponsoring a trip to Albany to meet with lawmakers on March 6th.  SIGN UP HERE

4) Visit the BHA’s BQE Reconstruction Project webpage for more information on how to write to your legislators and additional info on public meetings and calls for community feedback.

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  • Chris Bastian

    A reminder as well that, TONIGHT (Feb 27), NYCDOT is holding a public hearing at the Dock Street School starting at 5 PM to receive comments on the BQE repair project’s Scoping Document, a necessary first step in the project’s environmental review. Detaisl at: https://www.bqe-i278.com/en/about/scoping-report

  • SongBirdNYC

    The public may also submit written comment by March 12th. Here are the details from the BHA website:

    As part of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), NYCDOT’s first step is to determine the range of issues to be evaluated in the Draft EIS. Accordingly, NYCDOT is seeking public comment on the scope of the EIS through Monday, March 12 at 5 PM. The Draft Scope of Work can be obtained online or in a hard copy at these Brooklyn Libraries: Main Branch, Brooklyn Heights Branch, and Walt Whitman Branch.

    A public meeting on the CEQR process will be held on Tuesday, February 27th from 5-8 PM at the Dock Street School, 19 Dock Street in Dumbo. A presentation will be followed by public testimony on the Draft Scope of Work. Written comments can be mailed or emailed to:

    Tanvi Pandya, Project Manager
    BQE Project Team
    605 Third Avenue, 3rd Floor
    New York, NY 10158
    Email: info@bqe-i278.com

  • Andrew Porter

    Excellent post.

    I’ll be there, camera in hand.

  • Andrew Porter

    Well, I was there, with camera, took a bunch of excellent (IMHO) photos. Have none to share here, because the Eagle took all of them to use.

    Sorry, Claude!

  • David Weinkrantz

    If the BQE Rehabilitation Project receives approval to use Design/Build and then uses it, will it then be required by the State to obtain a Project Labor Agreement?

    Do Project Labor Agreements add 10% to the cost of the project, eating away at any savings resulting from the use of Design/Build?

    David Weinkrantz
    dweinkrant@gmail.com