NYC has a new plan to fix the BQE, but it won't happen until 2029

Also, the state Assembly battles on next week's primary ballot. [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [NYC has a new plan to fix an ailing BQE section. Construction won’t begin until 2029.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter curated by Emily Nadal]( Weather: ☀️ Another sunny, scorching hot day with a high of 94 degrees. It’s Friday morning in New York City where transportation officials have a [new vision to fix a defective section]( of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, but you’ll have to wait until 2029 for it to happen. This latest blueprint would stack traffic lanes directly on top of each other in an effort to overhaul the highway’s triple-cantilever structure tucked beneath the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, making it 20% wider as required by federal standards. It’s a long-awaited project, and this latest idea comes with a $5 billion price tag. But more waiting is in store for drivers as the project will take another five years to get approval from the federal government to begin construction. In the meantime, here’s what else is happening: - Some of the New York state Assembly’s longest-serving members are retiring at the end of the year, which means there will be [several Assembly battles]( in every borough except Staten Island during the June 25 primary. - A cab driver was shot in his car last night at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza and [is in critical condition.]( - Mayor Eric Adams [just launched the first phase]( of an initiative to hire more city-contracted workers from low-income neighborhoods. - The Port Authority’s board of commissioners recently signed off on two deals to bring more private jets to Stewart International Airport in Orange County as New York [looks to capitalize on the increased demand]( for them. - The city’s largest pool, Astoria Pool, is finally [reopening after a $19 billion makeover](. New York City is going to spend another $1 billion to redo 39 other public pools. - More than two dozen students and staff from Columbia University who were accused of occupying a campus building during a demonstration against the Israel-Hamas war this past spring just had their [cases dismissed]( and sealed. - Stonewall National Monument has a [new visitor center]( that will officially open on July 28 and serve as an education hub, offering a variety of programs and exhibits. - Brian Lehrer is launching his own newsletter, featuring his exclusive column, new ways to share your stories online and on air, plus an inside look at the show each week. [Sign up here]( to get it in your inbox on Thursday. - Crazy Legs Conti has been in the competitive eating game for 23 years. Could this year’s Coney Island hot dog eating contest [be his last]( - Model sailboats are [back at Central Park]( for the first time since 2019. They can be rented at the model Conservatory Water Pond. - Some of NYC’s most sought-after high schools are in Manhattan’s District 2, and now applicants that live in the affluent neighborhoods that make up the district will [get priority admission]( to those schools because the city just revived a controversial policy that allows it. - The City Council passed a bill yesterday that will require the Department of Buildings to be proactive about [routinely inspecting residential buildings]( based on their structural risk. - Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn has changed a lot throughout the years. But one thing you can count on is [James Jackson's watermelon stand]( which has been in the neighborhood every summer for the past 50 years. - UnitedHealthcare violated New York state’s birth control coverage law, and now the insurer is forced to [pay a $1 million penalty.]( - The Dyckman Basketball Tournament used to be a bring-your-own-shirt, $50 entry fee kind of community event. Now, it’s dubbed the “Red Carpet of Streetball” with NBA players regularly stopping by to shoot hoops. [This is how it got there.]( - [It’s about time]( women’s clothing gets pockets. [“The triple cantilever isn't getting any younger and it’s crumbling as we speak. I have little doubt there will be emergency repairs between now and 2029 when they start construction.”]( - Sam Schwartz, traffic analyst and former city traffic commissioner, [DISCUSSING THE CITY'S NEW PLANS FOR THE BQE.]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Dramatic redesign of Flatbush Avenue would add bus lanes to gridlocked Brooklyn street]( After years of stops and starts, New York City is finally moving forward with plans to install bus lanes on a busy stretch of Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. [The annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade is on Saturday]( The Coney Island Mermaid Parade returns to Surf Avenue on Saturday, kicking off at 1 p.m. [We Rely On Your Support]( [After budget cuts, NYC's libraries can't fix broken air conditioners amid heat wave]( The air conditioning was out in at least six New York Public Library branches on Tuesday, forcing two Staten Island sites to close. [A very noncorporate project floated in Queens where Amazon wanted ‘HQ2’]( A community land trust wants to turn a city-owned building in Long Island City into a shared, community space, and put it out of reach of for-profit developers. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.