OP-ED: $2.7 billion NYC Brooklyn Queens Street Car Connector project is no more

September 2023 was the third anniversary of former New York City (NYC) Mayor Bill de Blasio's abandonment for advancement of his $2.7 billion Brooklyn Queens Streetcar Connector project known as BQX. It was his number one transportation priority under his administration. There was never a guarantee the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) would pay for 50 percent of the cost. Dreams of Amazon doing the same disappeared since they canceled coming to Long Island City.

There is no funding for this project in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) $51 billion 2020 - 2024 Five Year Capital Plan. There is no commitment to use future Manhattan congestion pricing toll revenues anticipated to start on or before June 2024 to pay for this project. The project was not included within the draft long range MTA 2025 - 2044 Capital Needs Assessment Plan. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chairman Jane Lieber promised to release this critical document on Oct. 1, 2023. There is no funding to advance this project in any city, state or federal budget. Neither U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gov. Hochul, NYC Mayor Eric Adams or any other Congress member, state senator, state assembly member, borough president or NYC council member has made it a priority.

Mayor de Blasio never requested approval to enter the FTA's Capital Investment Grants New Starts Core Capacity program for funding. The project was not included within the March 2023 FTA New Starts report for federal fiscal year 2024. Successful completion of this process averages five years before there is an approved Federal Full Funding Grant Agreement in place.

Mayor de Blasio's plan to finance this project by taking a percentage of property taxes (value capture) on new development was always robbing Peter to pay Paul. It would have reduced the amount of money available for police, fire, sanitation and other essential municipal services. Both the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and Economic Development Corporation had no experience in design, construction or operations of street car systems. Mayor de Blasio never asked the MTA to serve as a project sponsor and system operator. The MTA, not wanting to use its own funding, would have had to enter the project into the FTA New Starts program. MTA, NYC DOT, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak are all attempting to qualify other projects for the same federal New Starts program.

The BQX is dead and buried. Try running a simple limited stop bus service on the same corridor. NYC Transit could create a new bus route running parallel to the BQX. It could cross the Pulaski Bridge to connect Astoria, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, downtown Brooklyn on to Red Hook and Park Slope. This could be a low cost easy to implement improvement rather than the $2.7 billion BQX.