Building A Park Above The BQE

What about a canal to replace the BQE? Photo via jgibbs's flickr

Where's the perfect spot to bring some green space to the Southside of Williamsburg? Sigh, above the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, apparently. According to the Brooklyn Paper there's one group angling to build a park on a platform above the Robert Moses "masterpiece." Sounds peaceful, no?

Neighborhood groups, St. Nicks Alliance and El Puente, have sponsored a $100,000 feasibility study to figure out the logistics of adding a 1.2-acre concrete platform above the BQE between South 3rd and South 5th Streets. Councilwoman Diana Reyna first proposed the idea in 2005, noting it would link Rodney Park to Marcy Avenue.

Reyna recently told the paper, “In addition to achieving open space, we would be uniting communities that got divided [by the highway]. I don’t want to limit the concept of what could be applied.”

A similar project in Boston was constructed, costing around $75MM—while no estimated cost has been announced for the proposed BQE park just yet, more details are expected to emerge over the next year as the study gets underway.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on May 27, 2010 2:37 PM

Comments [rss]

Think2wice

Something else to build a park over would be the open cuts on the Brighton Line (B/Q) and Franklin Ave Shuttle where fallen or wet leaves in Autumn allegedly create delays.

the bees

oh good. so we can all cop dope while sunning ourselves and huffing exhaust fumes!

Doctor Memory

Here's a better idea: tear the fucking thing down. Replace it with surface streets and a park. Pile the rubble on top of Robert Moses' grave site.

SFNY

whether it gets funded or not, it's a great idea. Seattle did a great job with Freeway Park:

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=312

longacre

Seattle can afford nice things because they're a relatively new city without 200 years of Tammany Hall/union/graft obligations to pay for.

camera_club

that area really is sliced down the middle by the BQE, makes it hard to walk or bike from on side of BQE to the other, you have to go blocks out of your way to cross.

Blue387

That canal doesn't seem practical since you'd have to reroute the BQE and the canal would be less than a mile long from Atlantic Avenue to the tunnel.

napalm

Wow! This is the best idea with such perfect timing.

Its the best way to spend about 100mm or so.

I'm sure the homeless, laid-off firefighters and teachers and police officers and average NYers will fall in love with this idea... Every city should be taking note. Thats right! We'll show those other cities how to spend money during a recession.

used_up_shoe

God forbid NYC spend .125% of its budget on non-essentials during a recession.

xgeyiph772

So, I'm thinking you're not for this idea? *ferryboi prods napalm into hysterical response, to include a reference to "fairyboi"*

bobchadwick

Charles Schurz Park is my favorite park and it's above the FDR. Of course, it has better views than a park above the BQE would ever have.

BQE

That would be Carl Schurz Park.

dirty hipster

CSP is on the UES and looks out at the northern tip of astoria and the triboro bridge. Great view - NOT

Give me Pier 1 at brooklyn bridge park or the BH Promenade everyday.

xgeyiph772

The guy that created "Peanuts" has a park named after him? Cool.

tien

Is the Brooklyn Heights Promenade not a park (it's run by the Parks Dept)? Because it's above the BQE and has better views than almost anywhere in the city.