Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

bqe.JPGThe Brooklyn Paper reports that there's talk brewing about seizing an opportunity to bury the section of the BQE that runs underneath the Promenade, rather than simply repair it (right, the Atlantic Ave. overpass where the roadway rises near the site of the proposed Brooklyn Bridge Park and the One Brooklyn condo development):

Some Brooklyn Heights residents now want to replace the part of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that runs beneath the famed Promenade with a tunnel. "The beauty of a tunnel is it can [go] anywhere," said Democratic District Leader Jo Anne Simon at a Tuesday meeting with the state transportation officials. The current plan for repairing the busy highway calls for rebuilding the steel and concrete decks, but Simon sees "an opportunity" to fix a "cockamamie" design once and for all, noting that one such tunnel was built beneath the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. A Department of Transportation said the state would "look at a tunnel option if there was a strong consensus that [it] must be looked at."


Photo: Sarah Goodyear

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Mayor Mamdani Won’t Discuss The Ongoing NYPD Criminal Bike Crackdown That Candidate Mamdani Opposed

Hizzoner has gotten the question at least four times in the last 11 days and has yet to explain why he has not ended the NYPD's ticketing blitz against bikers.

January 16, 2026

New Speaker’s Transportation Committee Signals Departure From Her Car-First Predecessor

The Council committee tapped by new Speaker Julie Menin has a pro-bike, pro-pedestrian chair — and zero Republicans.

January 16, 2026

Mamdani Warns Delivery Apps to Follow New Worker Protection Laws — Or Else

The Mamdani Administration sent letters to over 60 delivery app companies, warning they must comply with new regulations.

January 16, 2026

Advocates to Mamdani: Come See the Cross Bronx Impact for Yourself!

Anti-highway expansion advocates in the Bronx are asking the mayor to hear them out on their ideas to create a safer and more human-friendly environment around the toxic expressway.

January 16, 2026

Friday Video: Remember When Central Park Was Actually Dangerous?

Streetfilms legend Clarence Eckerson reframes the debate about Manhattan's premier green space in just 45 seconds.

January 16, 2026

Friday’s Headlines: Back on Top Edition

The administration is going after the delivery app companies. Plus other news.

January 16, 2026
See all posts