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City announces new timeline for BQX

January 10, 2020 Jaime DeJesus
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The New York City Economic Development Corporation has revealed its plans for an extensive community engagement process, launching a new website focused on proposals for the Brooklyn Queens Connector on Thursday, Jan. 9.

Led by the EDC and New York City Department of Transportation, the city team will use the site to provide new information and seek opinions from community members on the $2 billion-plus streetcar proposal that would connect a dozen neighborhoods along an 11-mile corridor from Red Hook to Astoria.

Related: Stalled BQX streetcar back on track

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The BQX as currently proposed would connect 13 subway lines, more than 30 bus routes, nine NYC Ferry landings, more than 100 Citi Bike stations and 400,000 people that reside along the route, according to EDC.

According to the EDC, the city team will offer briefings with elected officials, community board presentations, email blasts, webinars, on-the-ground outreach, public workshops and environmental review scoping hearings.

Related: Local pol still not on board with new BQX plan

The team will make a minimum of five community board presentations across Brooklyn and Queens, including at Community Boards 2 and 6 in Brooklyn, to explain the current plan for engagement and environmental review, as well as to go over details in the conceptual design report.

They will also conduct five community workshops to reach community stakeholders, collect public input through the project website, and meet with members of the BQX Task Force of the New York City Council as well as city, state and federal elected officials whose districts would be impacted by the project, according to EDC.

Related: BQX streetcar plan jeopardized by Amazon withdrawal, transit buffs sa

In addition, EDC says they plan to work with local partners to distribute information to residents and businesses along the proposed route’s corridor, coordinate with numerous city, state and federal agencies and incorporate public feedback as they refine the BQX proposal.

The new BQX website provides information on the proposal, important dates and a chance for locals to provide feedback throughout the public engagement process.

The Brooklyn workshops for the BQX will be held on three dates:

  • Thursday, Feb. 6, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St. in Downtown Brooklyn
  • Thursday, Feb.13, at P.S. 676, 27 Huntington St. in Red Hook
  • Tuesday, Mar. 3, at Bushwick Inlet Park, Kent Ave. between Quay Street and North Ninth Street in Williamsburg/Greenpoint

All meetings take place at 6:30 p.m.

Following the workshops, there will be public hearings and a comment period in May and June, according to the new website. Then, in the spring of 2021, a draft environmental impact statement will be issued to provide an initial, thorough look at potential effects of the project as well as alternatives, followed by final environmental impact statement in the fall of 2021, the website says.

As part of the process, according to the website, the city team will be, “Conducting environmental review to analyze and disclose potential effects of the BQX. The environmental review process will also consider alternatives to the streetcar (for example, a bus in a dedicated lane).”

Related: BQX streetcar’s future could be in President Trump’s hands

Once these stages are complete, the website says, the next steps would be to, “obtain federal funding and necessary governmental approvals, as well as undertaking the process for granting a franchise to enable the city to bring a private partner on board.” This includes seeking franchise authority as well as going through ULURP, the mandated city land use review process, and selecting a company to design, build, operate and maintain the BQX.

According to the website, the BQX would benefit local residents and businesses by speeding up commutes via an exclusive lane for as much as 90 percent of the 11-mile route, 5-10 minute waits during the busiest times, and boarding areas at the same height as the BQX cars for fast and ADA-accessible boarding.

The website also includes a map of the proposed route, from the BQX’s southern terminus in the vicinity of Smith and Ninth Streets in Brooklyn to its Astoria terminus in Queens.


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5 Comments

  1. The Angry Otaku

    Unless it’s raised above traffic, it’s worthless! Just a glorified bus that can’t turn to avoid intersection blocking trucks or idiot jaywalkers. If Tokyo could do it since 1979, NYC can at least follow suit.

    January 10, 2020 at 9:15 am
    Reply
  2. Tom

    This project is not necessary. It runs parallel to NYC Ferry for most of the route. NYC Ferry can cover most if not all of those places. I would start it in Bay Ridge and run it local along the coast and go all the way to Astoria with a stop at wall st NYC. If I was Mayor I would expand NYC Ferry instead.

    January 13, 2020 at 1:37 pm
    Reply
  3. Clara West

    Typical De Blasio waste of tax money.
    Buses cheaper and more versatile.
    Were is the report that was supposed to evaluate

    this proposal we the people paid thousands of $ for?
    DEB’s gift to the developers!

    January 13, 2020 at 4:28 pm
    Reply
  4. BigMoneyBarry

    They could of course spend that money on expanding the underutilized G train to more useful terminals, But of course DeBlasio’s only desire is to stick it to what he sees as “Cuomo’s MTA” despite the MTA’s biggest function is the NYC subway.

    January 17, 2020 at 8:37 pm
    Reply