De Blasio: BQX’s future could now be in Trump’s hands
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently said his proposed Brooklyn-Queens waterfront trolley, BQX, may not get built without federal funding. “I don’t think it’s doable without federal support,” de Blasio told local media on Thursday. “That’s something that would have to come in the upcoming federal budget.” This may be bad news for de Blasio, since President Donald Trump is definitely not one of his admirers, according to Brooklyn Paper.
In a tweet three years ago, Trump called de Blasio “probably the worst mayor in the history of New York City.” Still, de Blasio is optimistic because the most recent federal budget reconciliation contains “the beginning of some spending on infrastructure,” Brooklyn Paper said.
Last year, he also said that “the presence of Sen. [Chuck] Schumer,” an enthusiastic supporter of the project, as Senate minority leader gave him hope. De Blasio officially introduced the project in 2016, soon after the idea was floated by local real estate interests, but since then there have been several delays. The city has not yet released a draft route and a revenue study for BQX, despite the fact that it had promised to do so last year.
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.