BQX Streetcar Misses First Major Deadline, Reports Say

BROOKLYN, NY — The proposed streetcar that would link Brooklyn and Queens along the waterfront will likely miss its first major deadline, Crain's reported. The delay would probably stretch the project's entire timeline.

The proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX) was originally to supposed to start its public-review process by the end of the year. However, the city likely won't start it until sometime next year because they're still studying the costs, revenue and feasibility of the streetcar, Crain's reported.

"The BQX would be a multibillion-dollar investment bringing a modern and efficient transit option to communities along the waterfront," a spokesman for the city's Economic Development Corporation told Crain's. "We're willing to take the time necessary for a thorough analysis to make sure it gets done right."

The 14-mile waterfront line would run through Astoria, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Sunset Park. The car would be on street level and plans call to have ramps to make it more wheelchair-accessible than the subway.

Activists for the plan previously said the BQX could shuttle about 400,000 residents and the city repeatedly said it would eventually pay for itself.

However, a leaked memo from February found that the $2.5 billion project might never be financially feasible and inflation could drive construction costs up $100 million a year, Politco reported.

Image: Kathleen Culliton/Patch