EVENT DETAIL

In the 1940s, plans for the 19-mile BQE were developed. Some sections were elevated and some were depressed in an open trench. In Brooklyn Heights, the Right-of-Way (ROW) was limited by homes on one side and waterfront businesses on the other. The highway needed to be stacked. The end result was a triple-cantilevered section with 4 levels: the local street (Furman Street), the BQE southbound towards Staten Island, the BQE northbound towards Queens and a promenade offering an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline. The structure is now nearly three quarters of a century old and is exhibiting severe deterioration and needs to be replaced or fully rehabilitated. On one side is the Brooklyn Heights community, on the other Brooklyn Bridge Park. The very tight ROW remains but now highway planners are faced with having to deal with existing traffic of more than 130,000 vehicles daily including many large trucks. In this 1.5 PDH presentation, Samuel I. Schwartz, P.E. will explore the history of this portion of the BQE, structural issues that plague it, various plans for final condition with an emphasis on constructability.