NYC Roads

[Rothman]

I just drove the Cantilever around 9 a.m. on a Sunday and, sure, there was a little slow traffic, but it wasn't bad.

[crispy93]

Queens-Manhattan leg of the Triboro

Fwiw, the Manhattan lift span is not I-278, it's reference route 900G. In Astoria, the eastern leg of 278 that provides access to the Grand Central is considered part of the mainline (at least according to Wiki)

[vdeane]

Looks like the BQE situation is escalating; now the advocates are calling not for just the removal of the triple cantilever, but the entire expressway, all the way from the Verrazzano to the Grand Central Parkway.

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/27/new-york-city-cannot-repeat-the-big-digs-big-mistake

[Rothman]

Looks like the BQE situation is escalating; now the advocates are calling not for just the removal of the triple cantilever, but the entire expressway, all the way from the Verrazzano to the Grand Central Parkway.

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/27/new-york-city-cannot-repeat-the-big-digs-big-mistake

I couldn't get past the statement that The Big Dig caused Boston to be one of the most congested cities in the country through induced demand.  Boston was beforehand and it was afterwards. 

And frankly, I find driving in Boston a lot better now than when the Central Artery was up.

[The Ghostbuster]

Is New York City really going to tear down the BQE? They would be crazy to do so. Maybe the four-lane segments could be congestion-priced like Interstate 66 in Arlington, Virginia. My preference would have been to build a tunnel bypass of the BQE in Brooklyn Heights, but that would take forever to construct and cost a fortune.

[storm2k]

Looks like the BQE situation is escalating; now the advocates are calling not for just the removal of the triple cantilever, but the entire expressway, all the way from the Verrazzano to the Grand Central Parkway.

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/27/new-york-city-cannot-repeat-the-big-digs-big-mistake

That was eyewatering to read in the worst way. If they think traffic in NYC is bad now, just wait until they replace the BQE with an urban boulevard. It's one of the most important arteries in the city, especially to keep truck traffic off local streets. I do fear that they're going to make the worst possible choice for this roadway that will make things worse and not better.

[Plutonic Panda]

What a fucking joke.

[vdeane]

Looks like the BQE situation is escalating; now the advocates are calling not for just the removal of the triple cantilever, but the entire expressway, all the way from the Verrazzano to the Grand Central Parkway.

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/27/new-york-city-cannot-repeat-the-big-digs-big-mistake

I couldn't get past the statement that The Big Dig caused Boston to be one of the most congested cities in the country through induced demand.  Boston was beforehand and it was afterwards. 

And frankly, I find driving in Boston a lot better now than when the Central Artery was up.

Yeah, that stuck out.  Are they really trying to convince people that Boston wasn't one of the most congested cities in the country before the Big Dig opened?  They seem to use a definition of "congestion" that basically means "cars are present" with no relation to what the driving experience and delay is on the road actually is, and treat driving as if it's the 8th deadly sin.  While I do believe that non-car modes of transportation deserve more than the scraps of our car-first transportation policy in the US, yikes; "car last but preferably never" is not the answer either.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I figure that Mandummy will propose an annual mega wealth tax of 10% of value on any car worth over $10k to fund needed NYC transportation improvements.

[Plutonic Panda]

Regardless of politics I already figured this mayor would be a fucking disaster for car drivers. He wants to fuck up the Brooklyn Bridge approach and there's tons of twitter posts from horrible non profits like TransAlt pushing for many freeways to be removed and converted to parks.

[hotdogPi]

Regardless of politics I already figured this mayor would be a fucking disaster for car drivers. He wants to fuck up the Brooklyn Bridge approach and there's tons of twitter posts from horrible non profits like TransAlt pushing for many freeways to be removed and converted to parks.

I'm not seeing any evidence Mamdani is involved. The StreetsBlog article is telling him to do something, not saying he already is.

[Plutonic Panda]

Regardless of politics I already figured this mayor would be a fucking disaster for car drivers. He wants to fuck up the Brooklyn Bridge approach and there's tons of twitter posts from horrible non profits like TransAlt pushing for many freeways to be removed and converted to parks.

I'm not seeing any evidence Mamdani is involved. The StreetsBlog article is telling him to do something, not saying he already is.

Yeah we'll see as time goes. It looks to me like he will support almost anything that takes away car infrastructure.

[thenetwork]

Regardless of politics I already figured this mayor would be a fucking disaster for car drivers. He wants to fuck up the Brooklyn Bridge approach and there's tons of twitter posts from horrible non profits like TransAlt pushing for many freeways to be removed and converted to parks.

I'm not seeing any evidence Mamdani is involved. The StreetsBlog article is telling him to do something, not saying he already is.

Yeah we'll see as time goes. It looks to me like he will support almost anything that takes away car infrastructure.

people's choices.

[Rothman]

Regardless of politics I already figured this mayor would be a fucking disaster for car drivers. He wants to fuck up the Brooklyn Bridge approach and there's tons of twitter posts from horrible non profits like TransAlt pushing for many freeways to be removed and converted to parks.

I'm not seeing any evidence Mamdani is involved. The StreetsBlog article is telling him to do something, not saying he already is.

Yeah we'll see as time goes. It looks to me like he will support almost anything that takes away car infrastructure.

people's choices.

Pfft.  That's extreme.

[SignBridge]

I just watched a news report about this bike lane plan. If nothing else, narrowing the street from two lanes to one will impede emergency vehicle movements which is already a horrendous problem in Manhattan. But I guess this mayor isn't worried about things like prompt response to emergencies...

[crispy93]

Looks like the BQE situation is escalating; now the advocates are calling not for just the removal of the triple cantilever, but the entire expressway, all the way from the Verrazzano to the Grand Central Parkway.

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/27/new-york-city-cannot-repeat-the-big-digs-big-mistake

God, micromobility advocates are insufferable. They really live with their head in the clouds

[ElishaGOtis]

Well I got bamboozled... I was originally favorable of the universal 15mph school zone change until I found out that a) they're 24/7, b) they're enforced with almost zero tolerance (excluding cameras), c) the signs don't make it clear that they're 24/7, and d) the roads aren't being redesigned to coax 15mph and instead they're just putting up signs...

[vdeane]

d) the roads aren't being redesigned to coax 15mph and instead they're just putting up signs...

That's how it tends to be.  Signs are cheap.  Redesigning roads costs money.  Plus, with how much of the city meets their definition of "school zone", it's basically a way to lower the citywide limit to 15.

[RobbieL2415]

The writer of that article probably saw how NYSDOT removed half of Rochester's Inner Loop and thought, "why can't they do that here?"

Well, for one, the Inner Loop was under-utilized. There was a greater justification there to reclaim the land, and most of it is housing, now.

Same thing with the Sheridan. The traffic volume did not justify it being a freeway.

Does the writer also think the Alaskan Way Viaduct removal/tunnel replacement was a waste? Because I've heard no complaints about that.

This sounds less pragmatic and more like "freeway bad, so remove it".

[ElishaGOtis]

d) the roads aren't being redesigned to coax 15mph and instead they're just putting up signs...

That's how it tends to be.  Signs are cheap.  Redesigning roads costs money.  Plus, with how much of the city meets their definition of "school zone", it's basically a way to lower the citywide limit to 15.

WELL... I am still favorable of lowering most 25 to 20 in NYC   

...Provided they don't screw it up by putting 20 on like the Brooklyn Bridge or FDR drive or some other big roads... hate to say it I wouldn't be surprised if that happened considering what was done on UF campus (putting 20mph on a giant 4-lane divided stroad).

Buffalo I'm looking at you (albeit 30 is not 20, but still NY-198 has no business being 30...).

[SignBridge]

Well I got bamboozled... I was originally favorable of the universal 15mph school zone change until I found out that a) they're 24/7, b) they're enforced with almost zero tolerance (excluding cameras), c) the signs don't make it clear that they're 24/7, and d) the roads aren't being redesigned to coax 15mph and instead they're just putting up signs...

Correct me if I'm wrong; I believe the speed enforcement cameras in NYC don't ticket you unless you're going more than 10mph over the speed limit. For example Queens Blvd is posted 25mph, but traffic generally moves at about 35mph. I myself got a camera ticket on Union Tpk. at 182nd St. eastbound (posted 25mph) for going 38mph, which did not seem like an unreasonable speed at 11am on a Sunday morning in January 2025. Oh well, at least no points.......

[Rothman]

Well I got bamboozled... I was originally favorable of the universal 15mph school zone change until I found out that a) they're 24/7, b) they're enforced with almost zero tolerance (excluding cameras), c) the signs don't make it clear that they're 24/7, and d) the roads aren't being redesigned to coax 15mph and instead they're just putting up signs...

Correct me if I'm wrong; I believe the speed enforcement cameras in NYC don't ticket you unless you're going more than 10mph over the speed limit. For example Queens Blvd is posted 25mph, but traffic generally moves at about 35mph. I myself got a camera ticket on Union Tpk. at 182nd St. eastbound (posted 25mph) for going 38mph, which did not seem like an unreasonable speed at 11am on a Sunday morning in January 2025. Oh well, at least no points.......

That same camera almost got me.  Hit the brakes when it clicked the camera was coming up and prayed I didn't get a rude awakening in the mail.

[ElishaGOtis]

Well I got bamboozled... I was originally favorable of the universal 15mph school zone change until I found out that a) they're 24/7, b) they're enforced with almost zero tolerance (excluding cameras), c) the signs don't make it clear that they're 24/7, and d) the roads aren't being redesigned to coax 15mph and instead they're just putting up signs...

Correct me if I'm wrong; I believe the speed enforcement cameras in NYC don't ticket you unless you're going more than 10mph over the speed limit. For example Queens Blvd is posted 25mph, but traffic generally moves at about 35mph. I myself got a camera ticket on Union Tpk. at 182nd St. eastbound (posted 25mph) for going 38mph, which did not seem like an unreasonable speed at 11am on a Sunday morning in January 2025. Oh well, at least no points.......

Correct I think. It's the manual enforcement I've been hearing is super strict.

[roadman65]

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17LvJaKDbi/

Opinions arent mine, but though, this article is interesting as it is mandatory a long term solution is met as the current structure is on its last leg.

[The Ghostbuster]

I highly doubt a final decision or construction on said decision will occur in 2029. It will probably be into the 2030s before anything is done on this segment of the BQE, if anything is done at all. Like I said before, I expect the triple-cantilevered segment to collapse before anything is done.