Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Constructel NYCBeta

New York Construction & Development Intelligence

CONSTRUCTEL NYC TRACKS NYC DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS FILINGS, PERMITS & SKYSCRAPER PROJECTS CITYWIDECONSTRUCTEL NYC TRACKS NYC DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS FILINGS, PERMITS & SKYSCRAPER PROJECTS CITYWIDE
Infrastructure Tracker

BQE Central (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Triple Cantilever Reconstruction)

DOT has cycled through multiple redesign concepts for this 1940s triple-decker highway structure, including a 2024 'stacked lanes' proposal that would replace the current three-tier cantilever with lanes stacked directly atop one another, freeing space below for Furman Street. A 2020 engineering panel warned the cantilever could become unsafe for truck traffic as early as 2026, risking rerouting roughly 16,000 trucks a day onto local Brooklyn streets if not addressed. No construction contractor has been selected; the project remains in the planning and environmental-review stage, with an Environmental Impact Statement process underway.

Agency
NYC Department of Transportation, with NYSDOT/FHWA as environmental-review partnersOfficial site ↗
Total Budget
Not finalized. Reported planning estimates range from roughly $4 billion (per amNY) to $5–5.5 billion (per a 2024 DOT plan reported by Bloomberg). DOT's current 5-year capital plan allocates only $174 million toward the BQE, which DOT itself has said is insufficient to fund reconstruction.
Status
In design and environmental review — construction not expected to begin before 2029
Location
1.5-mile city-owned segment of the BQE in Brooklyn Heights, from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street, including the 0.4-mile 'Triple Cantilever' structure beneath the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, built in the 1940s under Robert Moses
Planning Estimate
$4–5.5 billion
Segment Length
1.5 miles
Triple Cantilever Length
0.4 miles
Built
1940s (Robert Moses era)
Daily Trucks at Risk of Rerouting
~16,000
DOT's Current 5-Year Capital Allocation
$174 million
Why This Isn't in DOB's Live Data

DOT roadway and bridge reconstruction isn't subject to DOB's building permitting process at all — DOB regulates buildings, not city-owned highway structures — so this project doesn't and won't appear in DOB Job Application Filings or DOB Permit Issuance, the two datasets the rest of this site is built on. That's why it's tracked here by hand instead of pulled live like everything else on Constructel NYC.

Who's Building It

2 contracts named in reporting, 3 firms including the owner, 2 with a disclosed contract value. Each firm links to its own profile — every project it's on, and its DOB permit history where one exists under its name. Joint ventures are shown as reported, with each partner linked.

  • Gannett Fleming Management Services LLC

    Planning/engineering consulting support (not construction)

    ~$4.29 million

    Source →

  • VHB Engineering

    Planning/engineering consulting support (not construction)

    ~$4.65 million

    Source →

Phases

Click a phase for its full detail.

1 of 2 phases complete

BQE Central Vision Report

Complete

DOT released its Vision summary report in December 2024, alongside public information meetings the same month.

News & Announcements

Frequently Asked

Who is building BQE Central (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Triple Cantilever Reconstruction)?
Firms named in sourced reporting: Gannett Fleming Management Services LLC — Planning/engineering consulting support (not construction); VHB Engineering — Planning/engineering consulting support (not construction).
How much does BQE Central (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Triple Cantilever Reconstruction) cost?
Not finalized. Reported planning estimates range from roughly $4 billion (per amNY) to $5–5.5 billion (per a 2024 DOT plan reported by Bloomberg). DOT's current 5-year capital plan allocates only $174 million toward the BQE, which DOT itself has said is insufficient to fund reconstruction..
What is the status of BQE Central (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Triple Cantilever Reconstruction)?
In design and environmental review — construction not expected to begin before 2029.
Who oversees BQE Central (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Triple Cantilever Reconstruction)?
NYC Department of Transportation, with NYSDOT/FHWA as environmental-review partners.
Where is BQE Central (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Triple Cantilever Reconstruction)?
1.5-mile city-owned segment of the BQE in Brooklyn Heights, from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street, including the 0.4-mile 'Triple Cantilever' structure beneath the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, built in the 1940s under Robert Moses