DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez urges drivers to avoid the BQE this weekend
NEW YORK -- "Avoid the BQE this weekend."
That's the ask from the Department of Transportation as part of the expressway will be closed.
Traffic moved at a slow roll on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on Tuesday afternoon. That's the norm with no construction or closures. But just wait until this weekend.
"Drivers, stay away from the BQE," DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez joined CBS New York via Zoom to share details about this weekend's closure for interim repairs.
"This is the first time that we did this type of closure at the BQE in its history," Rodriguez said.
From 2 a.m. Saturday through 4 a.m. Monday, all lanes of the Queens-bound BQE will be closed from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street for repairs. Concrete removed over the summer will be replaced with a fresh pour.
The Staten Island-bound BQE will be open, but with only one lane between Sands and Atlantic.
Signs warn of the impending 1.5-mile closure.
"Going to the bridge, it's going to be crazy," one driver said.
"I saw the signs. We'll just let Waze figure it out I guess," another said.
"It's going to cause like a ruckus," another said.
"We just got to do it, I guess," another added.
Those who call Brooklyn Heights home say traffic forced on Atlantic Avenue this weekend by the closure will make existing problems worse.
"It's difficult to get around just on a regular basis. I mean, more traffic is no good," one person said.
"Day and night we hear the cars honking. They have no respect for the community, not even for the emergency responders," resident Antoinette Dorch said.
"There's a lot of accidents. People are angry. It spills into the neighborhood. Not a good thing," another said.
Commissioner Rodriguez called the closure and the interim repairs necessary until Mayor Eric Adams' BQE Corridor Vision becomes reality.
"Our responsibility at the DOT is to be sure that the BQE continue being a safe corridor," Rodriguez said.
So, this weekend, to keep your slow roll from becoming a full stop, avoid the BQE.
Rodriguez says after this weekend, the DOT has no plans for another full closure this year.
For a complete list of all ramp closures and detailed detours, please click here.