The first section of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway was built in 1939. The Newton Creek section within this run had always needed a bridge, and a succession of structures had served the purpose since the 17th century European settlement in this area. The Brooklyn Queens Expressway stretch of 1939 included a state-of-the-art bridge crossing that was named after the military engineer of Polish descent and revolutionary war hero, Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko.
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, North Side, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Queens Expressway Westbound Approaching 34th Street Exit, Greenwood Brooklyn
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Westbound Approaching Belt Parkway, Sunset Park Brooklyn
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Westbound Approaching Tillary Street, Downtown Brooklyn
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Westbound at Kosciuszk Bridge, Haberman Brooklyn
The next section of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway had to wait until after World War II. It consisted of an elevated link from the Kosciuszko Bridge to Williamsburg. It opened to traffic in 1950. This section required the destruction of a number of homes and neighborhoods: a sprinkling of parks and open spaces were built to assuage hurt feelings of affected communities, though most of them were displaced to new locations. The extension of the Expressway continued after 1950 and was marred by an accident in 1956 in which 6 children were killed.
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Westbound at Meeker Avenue Exit Haberman, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Westbound at Prospect Expressway Exit, Gowanus Brooklyn
New technology in the business of making roads and a surging wave of growth in vehicular numbers, heaped criticism on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway almost as soon as it was completed in the early 1960s. The first wave of reconstruction had to start not long after engineers were celebrating completion of their project. This reconstruction project that started in 1966 seemed contagious, as the Brooklyn Queens Expressway seemed continuously in need of repair well in to the 1980s.
Brooklyn Queens Expressway Westbound at Williamsburg Bridge Exit, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Westbound from Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Carroll Gardens Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Queens Expressway is used in sections by about 200,000 vehicles per day, with especially heavy use at the Brooklyn end. It has always been congested, much as its safety features have always seemed outdated. The connection to the Williamsburg Bridge has already been re-laid. Entire sections are under total reconstruction.
Brooklyn Queens Expressway Westbound from Morgan Avenue, Greenpoint Brooklyn
Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Westbound towards 92nd Street, Dyker Beach
Brooklyn Queens Expressway Westbound towards the Battery Tunnel, Carroll Gardens Brooklyn
There is a plan to broaden and in fact replace the entire Newton Creek crossing. Some experts cite the idea of building tunnels along sections. Though every effort has been made to accommodate future requirements, hardened skeptics quip that the Brooklyn Queens Expressway is destined to be perpetually a few years behind while New Yorkers love to hate the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, without which they cannot do.
