There is a commuter alert for anyone driving around the boroughs this weekend, as the Queens-bound lanes of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be shut down through Sunday. Drivers can expect delays — here’s what it means for those behind the wheel. NBC New York’s Andrew Siff reports.
Looking to get from Brooklyn to Queens this weekend? Don't count on taking one of the main thoroughfares.
Part of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be closed for repairs for the entire weekend, according to the city's Department of Transportation, and it could lead to a traffic nightmare in downtown Brooklyn.
The Queens-bound BQE will be fully closed from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street starting at 2 a.m. Saturday, and it will remain closed until 4 a.m. Monday, the DOT said. That includes a full closure between the Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp and the Manhattan Bridge exit ramp in the direction of Queens.
The repairs, which build on repair work conducted in October 2023, focus on new concrete and reinforcing steel bars being added at spans on the BQE near Clark Street and Grace Court as part of near-term work critical to extending the structure’s lifespan. A final, similar round of repairs is expected to occur on June 1 to 3.
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"Just as we did successfully last fall, we continue to deliver critical repairs to the BQE to preserve its lifespan while minimizing the impact on the local community,” NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. “I encourage all New Yorkers to avoid the BQE in Brooklyn this weekend and to take mass transit.”
Here are the ramps that will be impacted by the closures:
Queens-Bound:
- 3rd Ave entrance Ramp
- 6th Ave entrance ramp
- Prospect Expressway Entrance Ramp
- Hamilton Avenue Entrance Ramp
- Atlantic Avenue Entrance Ramp
- Cadman Plaza Exit Ramp
- Brooklyn Bridge Exit Ramp
- Manhattan Bridge Exit Ramp
