Mayor Bill de Blasio today came to Red Hook where he joined tenants of NYCHA’s Red Hook Houses, transit leaders, elected officials and civic groups to detail a new streetcar service: the Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX).
The $2.5 billion new transit line – the first New York City streetcar in more than fifty years – would stretch 16 miles along the Brooklyn and Queens New York Harbor/East River waterfront from Sunset Park to Asoria in Queens. Along the way the transit trolly line would include Brooklyn stops in Red Hook, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Williamsburg and Greenpoint before moving into Queens.
The Brooklyn-Queens waterfront is one of the fastest-growing parts of the city, with more than 405,000 residents and 296,000 workers. But transit capacity hasn’t kept pace with population and employment growth. The BQX would link together long-isolated neighborhoods and bring 21st century public transit to meet the needs of a growing city.
“People in neighborhoods like Red Hook haven’t had the quality transit they need and deserve. This new service means opportunity for those families, and it’s also going to strengthen communities up and down the waterfront. Anyone can see the enormous growth happening here – it’s time we brought new transit to these neighborhoods for all those people and jobs,” said de Blasio.
The City will raise capital to build the BQX through the creation of a non-profit with the authority to issue tax-exempt bonds. The City is expected to pay off this debt by capturing a percentage of the increase in values of existing and new development along the corridor. Fares from riders are expected to cover approximately two-thirds of yearly operating costs, and the City will consider additional revenue streams, such as advertising, to offset remaining costs.
Following extensive community outreach and planning, the Administration foresees breaking ground on the project in 2019-2020.
De Blasio sent out several press releases throughout the day with various civic and elected leaders hailing the plan. However, some media outlets pointed out that much of the route is in flood prone areas – something that Sunset Park/Red Hook City Council Member Carlos Menchaca addressed.
“The concerns expressed by community leaders about the proposed BQX project are valid. Resilience and sustainability are key concepts for all New York City infrastructure projects — especially those in flood prone areas like Red Hook and Sunset Park in the district I represent,” said Menchaca.
“However, I am confident that effective community engagement can bridge the gap between our desire to invest in public transportation solutions and our resilience and sustainability obligations. We need continued support for visionary proposals like the Mayor’s BQX plan because immigrant and low-income communities lack transportation options. Since we may be designing something completely new for New York City, my role is to ensure local community voices are understood at every step and to keep City leaders accountable,” Menchaca added.
Menchaca noted that local communities in Red Hook and Sunset Park are already engaged in extensive integrated flood protection, resilience and environmental justice work that can serve as a model for the BQX plan.
The following are comments from some of Brooklyn’s other various elected officials.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, “Public transportation is a key driver of our city’s economy and we should make every effort to ensure all New Yorkers have access to efficient and affordable transportation options. We need to make it easier for New Yorkers to travel between boroughs and help connect more neighborhoods that currently have limited public transit options. I look forward to working with the Mayor and community leaders as this project moves forward.”
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said, “My vision for One Brooklyn, a borough where the popularity of our brand translates to prosperity for all Brooklynites, has always focused on improving the connectivity between our communities and the opportunities they hold. In a 21st century Brooklyn, we need 21st century transportation solutions to meet the historic challenges that have faced underserved communities. The Brooklyn Queens Connector, like Bus Rapid Transit and the Utica Avenue subway line, is an innovative and laudable project that fits into our shared vision for a better connected borough and city. I support the principles of this plan to bring emissions-free transit to our waterfront, supporting a large percentage of our public housing residents as well as our emerging industrial employment hubs. A robust public process will allow us to strengthen the BQX through a thoughtful conversation about the design and financing of this important proposal.”
Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez said, “This is an ambitious project that has enormous potential to link working and residential communities along the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront. With proposals of this scope, there are always many moving parts and this will need to be integrated into waterfront resiliency measures as well as the waterfront greenway. We must also be certain that working families benefit from this new mode of transit. Equity and inclusive community planning will be key. All that being said, a new urban streetcar holds great promise. That’s one reason I secured funding to study a similar streetcar project linking Red Hook to downtown Brooklyn. As this proposal moves ahead, I look forward to working closely with the Mayor and the affected communities to ensure residents, workers and businesses of Brooklyn, Queens and our entire city benefit.”
State Senator Daniel Squadron said, “It’s great news that we’re on track for more ways to get around more of our waterfront. I’ve long supported more travel options for our transit underserved waterfront communities, as well as expanding access to our growing Harbor Park, a Central Park for the center of our city. As community engagement begins on this plan, I thank the Mayor for this exciting step and look forward to working with the City and community members to make sure we expand access and have a plan that works for our neighborhoods.”
Assistant Assembly Speaker Felix Ortiz said, “While job creation and economic development opportunities along the Brooklyn Queens waterfront have expanded in recent years – including large parts of my district in Sunset Park and Red Hook – our century old transportation infrastructure has failed to keep pace. If we hope to make our waterfront a true ‘Corridor of Innovation’ for New York City, we must invest in visionary, transformative new transportation options. The “Brooklyn Queens Connector” fits that bill. While there are obviously many questions to be answered and much work to do to make this a reality, I think that this can be incredibly positive for Red Hook, Sunset Park and residents of many other waterfront communities.”
Assembly Member Joseph Lentol said, “Innovation is at the heart of what makes New York City the greatest city in the world. The subway system helps us lead the way. To ensure we are on the cutting-edge, we must connect our diverse neighborhoods. Expanding our transportation network by connecting our two largest boroughs will certainly make us even better. The economic vibrancy that will result from a project like this is boundless. What must happen with a project of this size is to have maximized public participation from the earliest stages. We need to safeguard the quality of life for those that surround the proposed construction. And we need to listen and respond to the important questions our residents raise in response to this proposal.”
