Impact of BQE Reno on Brooklyn Bridge Park Unclear
When it comes to the Brooklyn Bridge Park project, we’re confused enough as it is about who’s doing what, when. Now comes news that the State Department of Transportation wants to make a complicated situation even more complicated. It turns out that elevated roadways need to be maintained occasionally and it’s about that time for…
When it comes to the Brooklyn Bridge Park project, we’re confused enough as it is about who’s doing what, when. Now comes news that the State Department of Transportation wants to make a complicated situation even more complicated. It turns out that elevated roadways need to be maintained occasionally and it’s about that time for “corrective action” on the portion of the BQE that cantilevers out underneath the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The problem is that none of the geniuses at DOT thought it was worth mentioning this at any point in the last couple of years as plans for the new park and the means for accessing it have been debated ad nauseum by neighborhood and planning groups. The idea of accelerating the cantilever repairs to coincide with the Brooklyn Bridge Park work has already been suggested to, and rejected by, DOT. Meanwhile, the Empire State Development Corporation, which speaks on behalf of the BBPDC, is downplaying any negative impact on park plans: We don’t expect the redesign of that section of the BQE to have any impact on the development of Brooklyn Bridge Park, said spokesman Errol Cockfield.
Park Could Hinge on BQE Renovation [Fort Greene Courier]
Photo by huge manatess
I have lived in brooklyn heights for over fifteen years and the day I moved in, I was told by neighbors that the work on the new park was “about to begin”. Even the great medieval cathedrals of Europe had their foundation work well underway after fifteen years. So far, there is zippo to show on the site although somehow twenty million dollars has been spent on studies and on large cardboard models. Many in the area think that the park is a Trojan horse to sneak in high-rises on the waterfront. I think it is a hopelessly muddled bureacratic and political morass that seems to get more opaque every season. A park would be nice, but don’t hold your breath.
Is it really any surprise that there was no communication? This is local government we’re talking about here, kids.