New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced that it will move forward with the proposed Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX) light rail project, following the completion of a two-year feasibility study.
“The BQX is one of the biggest, most ambitious projects in a generation. It will be a challenge, but New York City is taking it on,” the Mayor said.
The revised route will connect Astoria, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Downtown Brooklyn, and Red Hook.
The construction and implementation of the light rail line is estimated to cost USD 2.73 billion for which the City will seek federal funding, among other sources, to deliver the project.
The environmental impact study process will commence this winter, followed by the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure in 2020. Construction is expected to begin in 2024 and end in 2029. First-year ridership is expected to be 50,000 per day.
At full implementation, the LRT will increase public transit options for neighborhoods with over half a million New Yorkers living and working along the growing Brooklyn-Queens waterfront corridor, including 40,000 New York City Public Housing Authority residents.
The BQX will bring much-needed connectivity to other existing modes of mass transit, including subways, buses, ferries, and CitiBike. The expanded connections will generate economic activity and boost access to emerging job clusters, cultural centers, academic institutions, world-class waterfront parks and more.
According to estimations, the project will have a USD 30 billion economic impact and approximately USD 1.4 billion in value capture to finance its construction.
Photo: Friends of Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX)
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