NEW YORK - The proposed BQX Connector streetcar could be building new momentum.

The project is the subject of a City Council oversight hearing Thursday morning.

The streetcar would connect waterfront neighborhoods from Red Hook, Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens.

• The State of Mass Transit: A Live Town Hall

A group called Friends of the BQX is gathering with elected officials to try to push the project forward with a rally at City Hall Thursday.

The BQX was first proposed by Mayor de Blasio in 2016.

Its completion date is set for 2029, and it's expected to cost about $2.7 billion.

Opponents say the real estate developers behind the project would benefit as property values would increase along the route, forcing out longtime residents and business owners.

But advocates say the BQX would serve what's currently a transit desert.

The rally comes as the project's environmental review gets underway ahead of the city's public review process.