Yesterday afternoon, a giant billboard over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Meeker Ave. and Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg collapsed and fell onto the highway and street below. Officials, who were still cleaning up debris today, say the 20-foot-high Mega Millions advertising sign came down due to extremely strong winds—but local politicians are unhappy it was there to begin with: "It is time the Buildings Department cracked down on illegal billboards," said Council Member Letitia James. "It is fortunate that no one was hurt in this incident, but it is time the City enforced this rule and held sign companies responsible."
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Results tagged “brooklynqueensexpressway”
Officials Outraged At "Illegal" Billboard That Crashed On BQE
Two Killed In Early Morning Crashes On BQE And Van Wyck
Two people were killed in separate early morning crashes on the BQE and Van Wyck Parkway. A man driving a BMW had been speeding on the Van Wyck in Queens around 2:15 a.m.—he lost control of his car when he attempted to exit at Atlantic Ave., and ended up crashing into a tree in front of Jamaica Hospital. The car burst into flames, killing the driver. A witness told a nearby a Gourmet Deli cashier that "he saw him doing about 80 on the freeway as he was passing by him. He said he didn't even slow down when he came off the ramp, then he hit the tree.”
NYPD To BQE Fire Observers: Stop Being So Nosy!
On a nice Sunday evening, what better entertainment is there than the free, real-time show of a vehicle fire on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway? Reader Eric tells us that so many spectators in Cobble Hill were fascinated by the blaze that they were not only standing in the street but also climbed on the fences of the overpasses overlooking the fire. The police ended up using their van's speaker to tell folks to "get the hell out of the way!"
Truck Fire on the BQE
Reader Joel sent us this photograph of some billowing black smoke in downtown Brooklyn (he took it from Manhattan--see a bigger image here). While it looks ominous--and there is a lot of smoke--it turns out it is a truck fire on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, where it comes out near Middagh/Hicks Streets. The truck was reportedly carrying construction materials, but nothing hazardous.
Tractor-Trailer Crashes into Cars on BQE, 1 Dead
Around 5:45 a.m., a tractor-trailer crashed into a livery car on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway at Morgan Avenue, near the Kosciusko Bridge. The vehicles were Brooklyn-bound, and the collision caused the tractor-trailer to jackknife across the divider and hit a Queens-bound car.
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