The BQE Plan's First Permanent Change Is a Corner of Squibb Park

"Minor permanent alienation." Matt Kusy, an engineer on the city's BQE Central Project, used that phrase at DOT's October 6 virtual Q&A. He was describing a corner of Squibb Park that would be taken for good so a rebuilt overpass can fit in the Columbia Heights area, Pineapple Street reported. Of everything the plan has committed to so far, that corner is the only permanent change named for a public space in Brooklyn Heights.

The Promenade sits on top of the triple cantilever and gets most of the attention. On paper, though, it is the least defined part of the project. The north end of the neighborhood already has specifics: a playground, a dog park, and a corner of Squibb Park. The Promenade's closure schedule is still undecided, and the public comment period that closes November 23 is when the city sets what its environmental study has to answer.

What the North End Already Knows

The project would build two temporary bypasses so the highway stays open during repairs. According to the Draft Scope of Work dated October 2, 2026, one would run along Furman Street below the Promenade, from just north of Atlantic Avenue to Columbia Heights. The other would start at Columbia Heights, possibly pass over the Brooklyn Bridge and through DUMBO, and rejoin the highway near the Manhattan Bridge. Both would be removed when construction ends.

Where that second bypass meets the neighborhood, DOT has been specific. At the October 6 session, the agency described these effects on the public spaces around Columbia Heights, as reported by Pineapple Street:

DOT's own presentation says access to all three will be kept "to the extent feasible," and that Harry Chapin Playground will be rebuilt as part of the Columbia Heights overpass work. The city cannot use parkland for anything else, even temporarily, without approval from Albany. That means state lawmakers would have to approve both the temporary use of these spaces and the permanent loss of part of Squibb Park. The Draft Scope also says small pieces of mapped parkland may be folded into the transportation right-of-way through alienation legislation.

The Promenade Has a Promise but No Schedule

For the Promenade, DOT has made a commitment rather than published a sequence. The project page says the Promenade is part of the triple cantilever structure and that "NYC DOT will maintain access to portions of the Promenade at all times, to the extent feasible." At the October 6 Q&A, Kusy said work would move along the Promenade several spans at a time, either north to south or south to north. DOT chief strategy officer Tiffany-Ann Taylor said the agency has "committed to" keeping access "as long as it is safe and feasible."

The Draft Scope does not say which spans close, in what order, or for how long. It leaves construction schedule and logistics, along with an assessment of park-access restrictions, to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. DOT expects that document to be finished in 2027.

Some context helps here. In 2018, a temporary-highway proposal from the de Blasio administration would have closed the Promenade for six years, Gothamist noted, and that administration dropped the plan after strong opposition. The current plan runs longer. DOT's page now says construction is expected to start in 2029 and finish by 2040. That is a year earlier than the August announcement, when Gothamist reported that the temporary roadway would start in 2030 and cantilever repairs in 2032. Transportation Commissioner Michael Flynn told Gothamist that sections of the Promenade would close, but that the temporary roadway would be "tucked out of view" from the walkway.

DOT estimates the rehabilitation at $3.5 to $4 billion and says it has $1.6 billion allocated in the city's Capital Plan so far. Taylor called the current design "the most conservative proposal" the city has put forward and said it is not final, since engineers are still studying other alignments.

The Park Below Shows What a Dated Closure Notice Looks Like

Brooklyn Bridge Park, at the foot of the Heights, is in the middle of its own fall work. Its alerts page lists these changes:

• Empire Fulton Ferry Lawn closed Monday, October 12, and stays closed until spring 2027.
• Emily Warren Roebling Plaza has posted detours from October 14 through November 13 while Roebling Rink is built. The rink is scheduled to open Saturday, November 14.
• The Pier 4 Transfer Bridge is scheduled for demolition work from October 13 through December 1.
• Pier 6's Tarzan swings have been removed for replacement this fall.
• Pier 2 closes at 9 p.m. from October through February.

Most items on that list carry a published start date, end date, or reopening date. The BQE plan does not yet give dates like these for any part of the Promenade. Under the city's environmental review rules, the scoping period is when the public can comment on which impacts the study should examine and how. DOT's page names those topics as the "environmental issues or potential impacts that you think should be studied" and "the topics and study areas included in the Draft Scope of Work."

What Neighborhood Groups Have Asked For So Far

Most public reactions since August have asked for the same thing that is missing from the Promenade section, which is a clearer picture of the construction footprint.

The Brooklyn Heights Association welcomed the decision not to widen the cantilever, according to the Brooklyn Eagle, but called the return of the bypass approach "very concerning." It also urged DOT to consider less expensive, less disruptive options. In the same report, Council Member Lincoln Restler, State Senator Andrew Gounardes, and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon welcomed rehabilitation over replacement in a joint statement but called the construction approach "invasive and disruptive." Restler later told Brooklyn Paper that he had hoped for lane-by-lane construction without temporary highways, and that whether the plan was viable remained "an open question."

On October 1, Streetsblog quoted Off-Ramp NYC co-founder Cindy McLaughlin calling the bypass "a very, very outdated approach." New Yorkers for Parks asked the administration to disclose the construction footprint, its duration, how parkland would be used, and how access would be kept, Gothamist reported.

Where DOT Will Be Between Now and November 23

DOT is holding several sessions before the comment deadline, and some of them are on blocks the neighborhood already uses. DOT asks people to register in advance for the Q&A sessions and the Borough Hall info session.

1. Thursday, October 22, 11 a.m. to noon. Virtual Q&A #2, with registration through the project page.
2. Sunday, October 25, noon to 3 p.m. DOT pop-up at the Montague Street Open Street, between Clinton and Hicks. It was moved from October 11 because of rain. The Montague BID lists its Montague Diner dog-costume contest for the same Sunday, which is the last day of this season's Open Streets.
3. Thursday, October 29, 6 to 8 p.m. BQE Central info session at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street.
4. Thursday, November 5. Deadline to request language interpretation for the virtual scoping meeting.
5. Tuesday, November 10, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. In-person public scoping meeting. The Draft Scope gives the location as New York City College of Technology, 300 Jay Street, but DOT's project page still lists it as "to be announced." Check the page before you go.
6. Thursday, November 12, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Virtual public scoping meeting on Zoom. It covers the same material as November 10.
7. Monday, November 23. Deadline for comments on the Draft Scope of Work. DOT accepts them through its online form, which allows 512 characters, by email to [email protected], by mail, or in person or virtually at either scoping meeting.

Between those dates, on Saturday, October 31 at 10:30 a.m., the Brooklyn Heights Association's Halloween Parade meets at the north end of the Promenade.

The BQE Central Project would shape how parts of Brooklyn Heights look and feel well into the next decade, including blocks that never appear in a highway headline. If you own a home near Columbia Heights, the Promenade, or Furman Street and want to talk through what a project on this timeline could mean for your plans, Dekidjiev, Jackson, Halpin Group is glad to have that conversation. Schedule a Confidential Consultation.