Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Triple Cantilever repair project drawing renewed attention

CBS News

18 hours ago

A 70-year-old stretch of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway known as the "Triple Cantilever" is drawing renewed attention as city and state leaders warn of its deteriorating condition and call for long-term solutions.
Local leaders are calling it a once-in-a-generation infrastructure project.
The three-tiered structure, bolted into the side of a wall and topped by the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, was once considered an engineering marvel. But decades later, local residents and officials say it has become both a safety concern and a burden on surrounding neighborhoods.
"It has created public health hazards and economic displacement and all kinds of harms for communities across Brooklyn and Queens," said Lara Birnback, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association.
A report from the de Blasio administration predicted that without intervention, trucks would need to be diverted from the cantilever by 2026. The New York City Department of Transportation insists the structure remains safe, citing repairs, enforcement against overweight trucks and consistent monitoring.
"The completion of extensive repairs, successful efforts to crack down on overweight vehicles, and high-tech monitoring of the structure has extended its lifespan and allowed us to advance a long-term solution," a DOT spokesperson said, noting overweight vehicle traffic has been reduced by 60%.
Still, concerns persist about truck loads that far exceed the roadway's design.
"This structure was built to withstand weights of about [70,000] to 80,000 pounds per vehicle," said State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a Brooklyn Democrat. "Right now, we have some trucks on this highway that are exceeding 150,000 pounds, and so what's happening over time is the ends of the highway are literally weakening."
City Councilmember Lincoln Restler said the scope of the problem requires cooperation beyond the city's budget.
"This is the single most complex project that the City of New York has considered in decades," he said. "Unfortunately, we're nowhere close to securing any of those things."
A coalition of community leaders are pushing for a broader vision of the highway's future.
"So many cities and countries around the world have found ways to reduce or transform these highly polluting, you know, very kind of old-fashioned urban highways like the BQE," Birnback said.
Repair costs are estimated between $2-4 billion. Public meetings are expected later this year, with an environmental impact study set for completion in 2027. Construction is projected to begin by the end of 2029.
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