This guy has a quick fix for the crisis on Brooklyn's busiest highway—and few are paying attention
New York City's Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is falling apart. Built between 1946 and 1964, the urban highway runs 12.1 miles through the heart of the two boroughs to connect on either end with the interstate highway system—a relic of midcentury car-oriented infrastructure, and a prime example of the dwindling lifespan of roads built during that time.
The degradation is most visible—and most pressing—in a section running alongside Brooklyn Heights known as the triple cantilever. This 0.4-mile section, completed in 1954, is unique among U.S. highways in that it juts out from the side of a hill and stacks the two directions of traffic on balcony-like decks, one slightly overhanging the other. A third level holds a well-loved park, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
This unusual layer cake of a freeway was a marvel of engineering in its day, though not without controversy. Masterminded by Robert Moses, the city's all-powerful, often ruthless city planner for more than four decades, the roadway bisects working-class and immigrant neighborhoods that grapple with the health and environmental fallout to this day.
Like the reputation of the man who built it, the triple cantilever has aged poorly. Its narrow width, (33.5 feet for the roadway in either direction) has made all but the most basic maintenance incredibly difficult, and its 71-year-old structure is constantly battered by the ever heavier automobiles and trucks. Designed to accommodate around 47,000 vehicles per day, it now carries more than three times that amount. Deteriorating deck joints and failing steel-reinforced concrete have led many to worry the triple cantilever is on the verge of collapse. An expert panel warned in 2020 that the triple cantilever could be unusable by 2026.
advertisement
The final deadline for Fast Company's Brands That Matter Awards is this Friday, May 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nadler calls aide's brief DHS detention ‘deeply troubling'
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) strongly criticized federal officers with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for entering his district office and briefly detaining one of his staffers last week, calling the incident 'deeply troubling.' In the Wednesday episode, first reported by Gothamist and captured on video, a DHS officer is seen handcuffing an aide, who is crying. Another DHS officer tries to gain access to part of Nadler's office, while a second staffer stands in the doorway, briefly blocking the agent from entering. The federal agent tells the second staffer that she is 'harboring rioters in the office' and denies her request to see a warrant, saying as he walks by her that he doesn't need one. Nadler, in a statement, said no arrests were made 'and the situation was quickly deescalated,' but he added, 'I am alarmed by the aggressive and heavy-handed tactics DHS is employing in New York City and across the country.' 'President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are sowing chaos in our communities, using intimidation tactics against both citizens and non-citizens in a reckless and dangerous manner. In the most recent and deeply troubling incident, DHS agents forcefully entered my Congressional office and handcuffed a member of my staff,' Nadler said in his statement. 'The decision to enter a Congressional office and detain a staff member demonstrates a deeply troubling disregard for proper legal boundaries,' he added. 'If this can happen in a Member of Congress's office, it can happen to anyone-and it is happening.' Nadler called on the Trump administration 'to halt the use of these dangerous tactics and to abandon use of the expedited removal process which denies due process to immigrants and citizens alike.' In a statement to The Hill, a senior DHS official said officers with DHS's Federal Protective Service (FPS) 'responded to information that protesters were present' inside Nadler's Manhattan office and went to the office because they 'were concerned about the safety of the federal employees in the office' and wanted 'to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those present.' 'Upon arrival, officers were granted entry and encountered four individuals. Officers identified themselves and explained their intent to conduct a security check, however, one individual became verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office,' the statement continued. 'The officers then detained the individual in the hallway for the purpose of completing the security check. All were released without further incident.' The Hill reached out to the White House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ports, mines and pipelines top premiers' wish lists ahead of meeting with Carney
OTTAWA — Canada's premiers are heading into to a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon Monday armed with their wish lists for major "nation-building" projects that could buttress the economy in the face of a U.S. trade war. Carney asked the premiers to each pass on five suggestions for national infrastructure projects, and Monday's meeting will aim to identify the ones that will make the final cut to be fast tracked using legislation Ottawa may introduce as early as this week. The conversation is taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing trade war with the United States, renewed debate about separatism in Alberta and a push to break down interprovincial trade barriers to encourage more trade between provinces and less reliance on trade with the U.S. That push already had a sense of urgency, following several months of unpredictable tariff moves by President Donald Trump, but got another injection of reality on Friday, as Trump indicated plans to double already damaging tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 per cent to 50 per cent on June 4. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement Saturday that Ottawa has "taken note" of that new plan and remains "resolute" to defend Canadian workers and communities. "We can give ourselves far more than the United States can take from us," he said on X. "That's why this Monday, the prime minister will meet with premiers in Saskatoon with one goal — build one Canadian economy out of thirteen, and get big, nation-building projects built faster." The federal government is developing what it calls a "national interest" bill to fast-track a small number of nation-building projects with a streamlined regulatory approval process as a substitute for reviews under the Impact Assessment Act. Which projects are the main topic of debate on Monday, with a heavy emphasis on critical minerals mining, energy and ports. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday his priority is mining in the "Ring of Fire," a region about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont., that contains massive deposits of critical minerals. Another priority is building a new nuclear plant in the province. Ford said he believes Carney will pick a few priorities across the country that would have a major impact. "One has to be the pipelines," Ford said, adding Canada can't "be relying on the U.S. any longer" as its primary energy customer. Ford said he believes Carney wants to work collaboratively with the provinces and that Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told him Friday morning he's excited to host the event. "I think a priority is to bring the whole country together," Ford said. "The previous government and previous prime minister didn't show enough love, in my opinion, to Alberta and Saskatchewan. We have to be a united country." Moe offered to host the meeting when he spoke with Carney soon after the federal election. Moe said in a social media in May that this will be the first meeting between the prime minister and the premiers held in his province in 40 years. The gathering comes as both Saskatchewan and Manitoba have declared provincewide states of emergency as wildfires threaten communities in remote northern regions. In Manitoba, 17,000 residents have been forced from their homes in recent days, while more than 4,000 people in Saskatchewan have had to evacuate. In a mid-May letter to Carney, Moe pitched 10 policy changes he said the federal government should make to reset Ottawa's relationship with Saskatchewan. His requests include starting negotiations with China to remove its tariffs on Canadian agri-food products, repealing the oil and gas emissions cap, expanding pipeline capacity and building trade and economic corridors across the country. "Your government has the ability to move forward on all 10 of these items quickly, which would clearly signal a new, more positive relationship between Saskatchewan and the federal government than we have had for the past 10 years," the letter said. In May, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt shared on social media her province's priorities for nation-building projects, including critical mineral projects that are ready to move now. She said New Brunswick ports are "ready to increase national and international trade with additional investments" and that the province is a leader in modular home building, ready to "tap into investments to tackle the national housing crisis." Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew also sent Carney a letter in May pitching federal-provincial partnership on several projects, including a trade corridor through the Port of Churchill, establishing Indigenous "fair trade zones" and developing critical minerals infrastructure. In his letter, Kinew called his province "the Costco of critical minerals." Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office declined to provide a statement ahead of the meeting, saying the premier has made her priorities for the federal government clear in recent weeks. British Columbia will be represented at the meeting by deputy premier Niki Sharma, as Premier David Eby left Saturday for a 10-day trade trip to Asia. Eby's office said he booked his trade diversification mission trip to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia before the first ministers meeting was scheduled, and virtual attendance isn't possible because of the time difference. A May 1 letter from Eby to Carney cited four "priority areas" he said require closer partnership between B.C. and Ottawa: the ongoing softwood lumber dispute, efforts to streamline rail and trade corridors, clean energy and critical mineral projects, and housing affordability and homelessness. — With files from Jack Farrell in Edmonton, Allison Jones in Toronto and Wolfgang Depner in Victoria This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stricken NYC firefighter promoted in ‘very emotional' ceremony: ‘Meant so much to him'
It was an honor he'd been patiently waiting for. The FDNY — in an emotional ceremony Thursday — promoted firefighter Mark Dziemian, who has been hospitalized since suffering cardiac arrest while responding to a two-alarm fire in Brooklyn on March 16. Dziemian's wife, Jackee, and their two children accepted the promotion to lieutenant on his behalf in a ceremony at the College of Staten Island. She said it was a moment her husband had been counting down to. 'Mark has been looking forward to this for so long,' Jackee said. 'He took the test in 2022, and becoming a lieutenant meant so much to him. 'It was really touching to look around the room to see FDNY firefighters and their families feeling what we're going through,' she said. FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker told The Post he was 'very emotional' during the event, adding that Dziemian was due for the title change. 'This was a civil service promotion, and there was no question in my mind that we wanted to promote him when we reached his number, and the mayor was incredibly supportive of that as well,' Tucker said. Dziemian's wife and children, Sophia, 4 years old, and Michael, 8 months, received a long standing ovation as they walked across the stage to accept his new rank. 'I'd be surprised if there were a dry eye in that room that was filled with a lot of tough people,' Tucker said. 'It was exactly how I wanted his wife and family to see how we feel about her, her family, and Mark.' During his career, Dziemian has served the FDNY in various capacities, including representing the department in the ceremonial unit at funerals, flag raisings, and other formal events. Tucker said Dziemian's friends and coworkers have been a constant source of support for his family since his medical emergency. 'Anytime a firefighter or EMT or a paramedic or frankly anybody in the FDNY gets injured in the line of duty, it is a profound event,' Tucker said. 'It is something that we all respond to.' Dziemian, who works out of Engine 217 in Bushwick, grew up in Maspeth, Queens, attended St. Adalbert Elementary School in Elmhurst, Queens, played multiple sports at Xavier High School and studied theater and visual arts at Fordham University. He followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Walter, and became an EMT. A chance meeting with former Assistant Commissioner of Communications Stephen Gregory inspired him to join the FDNY. 'Mark is an exemplary firefighter that I considered like a fourth son,' said Gregory, whose family has four generations on the job. 'I had my dad's lieutenant's badge put aside for Mark so that he will receive badge #1207.' A proud Polish American, Dziemian is the president of the FDNY's Pulaski Association, a charitable organization of firefighters with Polish and other Slavic roots. On March 1, two weeks before Dziemian's injury, he was proud to report that the Pulaski Association's annual dinner dance raised $1,500 for the Children's Smile Foundation, which helps kids in need, as well as $5,000 for the NYC Firefighters Burn Center Foundation, which sends childhood burn victims to summer camp. Dziemian – a Middle Village resident who turned 41 years old in the hospital on March 29 – encouraged his lifelong friend, Mariusz Jastrzebski, who owns Syrena Bakery in Greenpoint, to sponsor the Pulaski Association. 'Being Polish American with parents who came from Poland, he wanted to use his heritage and being a firefighter for good in the community,' Jastrzebski said. 'Now, I'm in awe of how the FDNY and the community have stepped up for his family.' Dziemian was taken to Wycoff Heights Medical Center in Bushwick immediately after the cardiac incident but was transferred to Lenox Hill that same night. After relocating again to North Shore University Hospital on Long Island, Dziemian is 'fighting to recover' at the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Manhattan, where his wife is driven daily by FDNY members. As Dziemian battled his injuries, his mother, Agnes, succumbed to cancer March 27. His father, Eugene, passed away in March 1998. Jackee Dziemian says it's hard to describe the outpouring of support from the FDNY Family Assistance Unit, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, and the medical teams caring for her husband. On Saturday, friends, family and fellow firefighters watched as the FDNY Marine Unit paid tribute to Dziemian with a water demonstration of boats along the East River. More than 615 tickets have been sold for a 'tailgate benefit' scheduled for before the Mets game June 11 at Citi Field. A GoFundMe page started to help ease the financial strain on Dziemian's family raised nearly $50,000 in two days. 'This is who Mark is,' Jackee Dziemian said. 'If this happened to anybody else, he'd be out theresupporting them.'
