More Renderings of the BQE's Hopeful Future
[nggallery id=”51052″ template=galleryview] Yesterday we talked about the possible plans for making the BQE trench a little friendlier to its surrounding neighborhoods. Later in the day Curbed managed to nab some fresh renderings of those possibilities from the EDC. The first two are of the proposed ‘Green Canopy,’ which comes with a price tag of…
[nggallery id=”51052″ template=galleryview]
Yesterday we talked about the possible plans for making the BQE trench a little friendlier to its surrounding neighborhoods. Later in the day Curbed managed to nab some fresh renderings of those possibilities from the EDC. The first two are of the proposed ‘Green Canopy,’ which comes with a price tag of $85 million. The third is of the pedestrian bridges, the fourth the massive greenway. The only problem? None of them have a source of funding. At least we’ve got the pictures to fantasize about.
Three Ways to Make the BQE Less Horrible [Curbed]
Your so right Minard. in Europe this would not even have been a thought. But if this was Europe all of the BQE would be like Bostons big dig…. If they can put extra long tunnels under mountains in Switzerland why can’t we cover this thing up. They charge 50 franc per year to drive on the Swiss roadways. 50 franc if your passing through for one day or getting the road pass on Jan 1 for 365 days. Most of Zurich expressways are under ground why now New York City.
what happens if there is a car fire? where does the smoke go? This would need ventilation towers like the Battery tunnel.
I agree with the idea that the best thing would be to build more overpasses, reconnect the streetgrid, repave and maintain the existing expressway and can they once and for all finish the GD repairs to the BQE?
These projects take decades. There is no other world-class city with eternally ripped-up and messed-up surface roads like NYC.
I think the funding (loans) wouldn’t be a problem if the math works. Unlike a business like a restaurant or bookstore, you can calculate the potential revenue generated from the electricity with close to perfect accuracy.
It would be great if they implemented the canopy idea but I doubt they’d get the funding for a project like that.
So, Boston can do the Big Dig, but we can’t do this?
Sad.
Minard — I share your cynicism. I think such a project would have to be a public-private partnership. If someone can make such improvements and make a reasonable profit selling the energy while the City and State, basically, gets out of their way… well, that would be ideal. Is that possible in this town?
This sort of public project may be great for Switzerland or Sweden, where they take their infrastructure seriously, but in Crooklyn? I don’t think so. If they could just finish repainting and repaving the Gowanus Expressway during our lifetimes, it would be a miracle.
I have zero confidence in the State or local government’s ability to build ambitious projects like this within any kind of budget or reasonable time frame.
I love this.
Any suggestion that you can reduce traffic by putting in more roads is flawed logic. You wouldn’t dig a deeper or make a river wider to reduce water flow, traffic operates in much the same way.
They can restore the grid and create a greenway/park, cover the thing up all the way to Litch Park! I am sure this will be a welcome reprieve for those people who have lived above the Ditch for years sucking on exhaust fumes.
The solar panels make it the ideal spot for unicorn grazing.