The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway: A Disaster Waiting to Happen

I avoided the BQE (Brookly-Queens Expressway) for the traffic, but I never expected it might collapse! Here’s why you should worry.

When I lived in Brooklyn, I avoided the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) like it was cursed. If a cab or rideshare driver even hinted at taking that route, I’d argue my way into an alternative. And if I was behind the wheel? Forget it. I didn’t care if taking the long way meant doubling my travel time—anything was better than inching along that miserable stretch of road. But sometimes, the BQE was the only option, no matter how much I tried to avoid it. And those were the days I’d find myself trapped in a sea of motionless cars, surrounded by angry drivers, wishing I was literally anywhere else.

My mind would race in that gridlocked hellscape. Would I be late? Would I get into an accident? Or would I finally lose it and toss my drink out the window just to see if I could nail the jerk in the car next to me? But there was one thing I never worried about—not once. I never considered that the BQE might actually collapse beneath me. I guess I should have, but it just never crossed my mind. And yet, that’s exactly what engineers now say is bound to happen one day. And there’s nothing that can be done about it!

In the video below, find out why the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway was built the way it was and how that flawed design has turned it into a ticking time bomb. So the next time you’re stuck on the dreaded BQE, maybe say a little prayer… just kidding… kind of…

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