TEAM: Hifza, Marcio, Alexander, Aimei

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ABOUT BROOKLYN QUEENS EXPRESSWAY

Finch, Susan. Metro New York. Guilford, Conn: Globe Pequot, 2010. Internet resource.

This source by Susan finch is focused on gowanus canal.  It explains how the canal was of usefulness during the Brooklyn construction until when the construction stopped. Red hook and Sunset Park were used as splitters for the canals. The canals’ importance was shown when it came to the transportation of supplies. When the construction came to an end, the canal was neglected to lead to a blockage that led to a haven of pollution and waste in the neighborhood. That is a helpful source as it brings us to the story of how it began.

New York. New York: New York Magazine Co., 1968.

This source brings out people’s concern about the Brooklyn Queens expressway construction. It shows how the railway construction had been a nuisance to the city. The continuous under construction, separating the red hook, and the sunset park beachfront from the repose of Brooklyn and traffic aftershives. This was compared to the cross Bronx superhighway censored off the South Bronx subsequently on the rest of the city and triggered it to spiral into deterioration. This scene angered the people because instead of being full of puppies and parks, it was a crime-ridden area.

The Encyclopedia of New York. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, 2005.

 This source explains the incidents that might happen due to the construction of the Brooklyn –queens’ expressway. Such incidents would include widespread looting as it took place in 1977, where blackout and riot were the day’s activity. This source shows how the construction of the Brooklyn-queen expressway could have been harmful.

Transportation Builder. Washington, D.C: American Road & Transportation Builders Association, 1989. Print.

This source gives examples from people who got affected by the Brooklyn –queen expressway. People had to relocate from their residence though the houses were affordable due to the proximity of the highway. They later explained that it was because of the exhaust fumes that if inhaled, it could cause rates of cancer and asthma complications, among others. Though some people are living happily in residences around the Brooklyn –Queen expressway, others are complaining that the dust from the cars was affecting them. That was because they got black soot on the windowsills that were greasy and impossible to wash off. Other than the dust, there were cases of noise pollution from the hooting vehicles passing.

New York. New York: New York Magazine

This source gives examples of incidents that took place in the Brooklyn –queen expressway. For instance, an NYPD employee died after his tire hits the SUV on the Gowanus expressway.it is said that the tire flew off the employees’ truck in Brooklyn. Two people were also reported dead when their motorcycle drove off the Gowanus expressway and down the street under the highway.

 Transportation Builder. Washington, D.C: American Road & Transportation Builders Association, 1989. Print.

This source explained how the neighborhood was at risk compared to air pollution, traffic, and noise pollution. The area was at risk of getting a global health issue. It is said that airborne particles caused by air pollution are harmful as they cause both lung and heart disease as they penetrate deep into the lungs.

“Expert: City’s BQE Plan Could Bring Dangerous Levels of Toxic Pollution to Brooklyn Heights.” Brooklyn Eagle, 2 Apr. 2019.

Usually there’s about 153,000 vehicles travel a day and affect residents for years. It has been addressed that this highway urban air pollutant affects people’s lungs that can cause heart disease. Not only is the BQE scaring commuties it’s also putting their life at risk, such as thousands of kids and seniors being infected with “particulate matters.’ ‘ This article has interesting points of views and statistics about particulate matters from monitoring BQE units.

Corcoran, Cate. “Hated, Beloved and Highly Used: The Past, Present and Future of the Brooklyn-Transforming BQE.” Brownstoner, 8 Dec. 2016,

This article is talking about BQE rehab plans not happening anytime soon because of a lack of funds. It cost about $280 million to $2 billions, BQE is over 60 years old and needs new transformation. Current reconstructions are paint jobs and triple cantilever that maybe one day brooklyn heights might be demolished in order to expand. New ideas and protocols are soon to be executed but won’t be easy as Moses times building and destroying communities. Now in the 21st century not everyone wil support the expansion of the BQE plan or any other crazy ideas.

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.” The Official Website of the City of New York, 31 Jan. 2020, 

Mayor De Blasio is forcing an executive order on the trucks enforcement task force. It’s illegal for overweight trucks that are crowding the highways not only that it’s also violating BQE weight restrictions. This can lead to serious damage, consequences with structural recovery. A perfect way to manage and take care of this wonderful masterpiece that helps new yorkers travel. 

 Hu, Winnie. “Dreaded by Drivers, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Is Set for Repairs”. Nov. 28, 2016

This source explains the situation of the BQE and the broken part of the triple cantilever.  It also explains the disadvantage and the danger that BQE brings to the New Yorkers and Archivists.  The city plans a $1.7 billion rehabilitation of a 1.5-mile stretch of the highway.  This project will focus on a heavily trafficked section of the expressway in Brooklyn between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street, which includes a triple cantilever bridge structure.  For the complaints about noise by the neighborhood, city transportation officials made temporary repairs to the highway last summer that included patching up concrete and repaving the road surface.  Repair of BQE is one of the ways to redress the harm done to the neighborhood in its creation.

Elsen-Rooney, Michael.  “Rooms near the fumes: Analysis shows nearly 250 city schools sit near high-pollution highways.”  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS , SEP, 2019. 

This source says there are about 250 schools hundreds of feet from highways that have the highest risk of air pollution.  The EPA advises districts not to build schools within 500 feet of freeways, where air pollution is measurably higher. A report found that breathing car and truck fumes can lead to long-term respiratory problems, and kids in schools closer to highways had slightly lower test scores than otherwise similar students in less polluted areas.

Kuntzman Gersh. “Corey Johnson’s Two BQE Recommendations Will Enable, Not Break, the Car Culture.” streetsblog,

nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/02/24/analysis-corey-johnsons-two-bqe-recommendations-will-enable-not-break-the-car-culture. 24 Feb. 2020, Accessed 30 October 2020.

Most times life in New York City can seem like an endless exercise in simply keeping bad from getting worse. In this article, City Council speaker Corey Johnson, talks about his goal to endorse $11 billion dollars into repairing the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, as well as opening up communities that were victimized by the construction of this legendary highway. Allying himself with many transportation advocates, Johnson’s aim is to replace the cantilevered section of the highway with a more modest boulevard and spend the money that would have been used on its repair to improve public transit. Additionally, his opponent Scott M. Stringer has a different standpoint that involves closing the BQE to all cars, making the expressway truck-only and one level of the elevated roadway a linear park. All in all, this article turns the spotlight on not only the future of the BQE, but the future of NYC infrastructure.       

Kimmelman Michael. “It’s a Crumbling Road to Despair. Can New York Fix the B.Q.E.?” 10 April. 2019, Accessed 30 October 2020.

To resurrect destroyed communities or repair, continue, a legends’ legacy. As we know the BQE is a Robert Moses-era creation that is a success and a disaster, all depending on how you look at it. The “success” is that without it 15,000 trucks a day would not be able to move flexibly. The “disaster” is that for Brooklyn Heights residents it’s a curse that they struggle with everyday to enjoy, especially what’s left of the park area. In this article, is the plan to rearrange the BQE supposed to benefit the Brooklyn Heights community or the 15,000 incoming trucks daily is the eleven billion dollar question. Architecture plans from BIG (Bjarke Ingel Group) and others have developed construction ideas that create more parkland for the community and others create more lanes for drivers, hence, less traffic. A good number of pros and cons are highlighted with a few of these plans such as repairing the BQE to create more lanes for less traffic will impact roughly 1,500 residents living in the Brooklyn Heights area, forcing them to relocate out of their comfort zone. On the flipside, a positive viewpoint; the Brooklyn Bridge Park could be enlarged proceeding with one of the construction plans, resulting to a new multi level park for the community. 

      Works cited

Finch, Susan. Metro New York. Guilford, Conn: Globe Pequot, 2010. Internet resource.

New York. New York: New York Magazine Co., 1968.

The Encyclopedia of New York. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, 2005.

Transportation Builder. Washington, D.C: American Road & Transportation Builders Association, 1989. Print.

Corcoran, Cate. “Hated, Beloved and Highly Used: The Past, Present and Future of the Brooklyn-Transforming BQE.” Brownstoner, 8 Dec. 2016, www.brownstoner.com/development/brooklyn-queens-expressway-promenade-robert-moses/.

“Expert: City’s BQE Plan Could Bring Dangerous Levels of Toxic Pollution to Brooklyn Heights.” Brooklyn Eagle, 2 Apr. 2019, brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/12/17/bqe-dangerous-levels-toxic-pollution-brooklyn-heights/.

“Mayor De Blasio Announces Increased Truck Enforcement, New Repairs on Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.” The Official Website of the City of New York, 31 Jan. 2020, www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/055-20/mayor-de-blasio-increased-truck-enforcement-new-repairs-brooklyn-queens-expressway.

 Hu, Winnie. “Dreaded by Drivers, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Is Set for Repairs.”  The New York Times, Nov. 28, 2016. www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/nyregion/dreaded-by-drivers-brooklyn-queens-expressway-is-set-for-repairs.html?searchResultPosition=1

Elsen-Rooney, Michael.  “Rooms near the fumes: Analysis shows nearly 250 city schools sit near high-pollution highways.”  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS , SEP, 2019. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-schools-pollution-highways-20190901-uqmoivcwgva5ritttifrlvmjaq-story.html