BILL NUMBER: S7497
SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the transportation law, in relation to establishing the
Brooklyn-Queens expressway authority
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To create an authority for the purpose of addressing both the short- and
long-term needs of the Brooklyn-Queens expressway; including, but not
limited to: the viability of existing roadway structures, tunnel alter-
natives along the BQE, and environmental justice concerns.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill sets forth the title of the bill, the "21st
Century Approach for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway."
Section two of the bill adds a new Article 23 to the Transportation Law
establishing the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Authority.
Section 490 of the new Article 23 sets forth legislative findings.
Section 491 of the new Article 23 establishes the authority.
Section 492 of the new Article 23 sets forth the powers and duties of
the authority. This section gives the authority the power to: study
current conditions, develop a plan to improve conditions, and implement
that plan. This section also outlines specific points that must be
addressed in any such plan and requires the Commissioner of the state
Department of Transportation to approve any plan prior to funds being
appropriated for the plan's implementation.
Section 493 of the new Article 23 sets forth the composition of member-
ship within the Authority for both voting and nonvoting members. This
section also sets forth the voting procedures of the authority and the
powers and duties of the elected Chairperson.
Section three of the bill sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The final reports of both the New York City Mayor's Expert Panel, and
the New York City Council on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, released in
early 2020, found that this vital piece of infrastructure is in dire
condition. The Panel's report foQused on the 1.5-mile stretch of the
roadway from Sands Street to Atlantic Averiue, which includes the
"triple cantilever" structure running along the edge of Brooklyn Heights
with a northbound level, southbound level, and the Brooklyn Heights
promenade, and found the structure to be deteriorating rapidly, with
sections possibly unsafe for vehicular and truck traffic in five years
if mitigations are not made expeditiously.
By establishing a dedicated public authority, New York state can begin
to deal with the many pressing and ever-increasing challenges to the
viability of the BQE in the short and long term-with the goal of making
the BQE a safer, smarter, and more sustainable thoroughfare for decades
to come, both for drivers and for the communities through which it pass-
es.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None in Senate
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.