Truck Ban Could Be Coming To Section Of BQE, Report Says

BROOKLYN, NY — Trucks might soon be banned from driving along sections of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway because the roadway has become so unstable it can't handle their weight, the New York Post reported. The ban would put them onto local streets instead

However, local traffic can be saved if state officials fast-track a reconstruction plan by the city's Department of Transportation, according to the Post.

If the BQE's reconstruction project doesn't finish by 2026, the city will have to limit weight on a 1.5-mile section of the major Brooklyn highway and kick trucks off between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street, the DOT said. Trucks could also exit at 3rd and 4th avenues and drive on Flatbush Avenue to get back on the BQE.

The agency asked the state for special legislative approval to allow the reconstruction project's design and building work be bid on and finished by the same contractor — instead of the usual splitting them up — which could shave two years off the project and save $113 million.

DOT Commissioner Trottenberg previously asked Albany lawmakers for three years in a row to pass a bill to expedite the process, but it has failed every time. State Sen. Marty Golden told the Post he plans to introduce a new bill to fix the roadway soon.

Image Credit: Mark Lennihan / Associated Press