With large swaths of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway shutting down this weekend for repairs, the New York City Department of Transportation has issued a warning for drivers to avoid much of the area.

Construction work will begin around 2 a.m. Saturday and will conclude at approximately 4 a.m. Monday, according to the DOT.

During that time, the Queens-bound BQE will be fully closed from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street.

“I encourage all New Yorkers to avoid the BQE in Brooklyn this weekend and to take mass transit,” NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement on Thursday.

Construction work is centered around installing new concrete and adding reinforcing steel bars at spans on the BQE near Clark Street and Grace Court as part of near-term work critical to extending the structure’s lifespan, transportation officials said.

The following travel restrictions will be in place during that time, according to the DOT:

  • Atlantic Avenue eastbound left turn onto Hicks Street banned (except for buses)
  • Atlantic Avenue eastbound left turn onto Clinton Street banned (except for buses)

Ramp closures 

Queens-bound

  • 3rd Ave at 65th Street entrance ramp
  • 6th Ave at 65th Street entrance ramp
  • Prospect Expressway entrance ramp
  • Hamilton Avenue entrance ramp
  • Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp
  • Cadman Plaza exit ramp
  • Brooklyn Bridge exit ramp
  • Manhattan Bridge exit ramp

Detours

Queens-bound Atlantic Avenue detour

  • All Queens-bound vehicles must exit at Atlantic Avenue
  • Left onto Boerum Place
  • Right onto Tillary Street and take ramp onto BQE

Queens-bound 3rd Avenue entrance ramp detour

  • Exit Gowanus Expressway at Exit 21 to 3rd Avenue (Brooklyn)
  • Travel along 3rd Avenue
  • Left onto Flatbush Avenue
  • Right onto Tillary Street and take ramp onto BQE

Queens-bound Prospect Expressway entrance ramp detour

  • Travel along the Prospect Expressway toward Gowanus Expressway
  • Exit Gowanus Expressway at Hamilton Avenue
  • Take a right onto Hicks Street
  • Take a right onto Atlantic Avenue
  • Take a left onto Boerum Place
  • Take a right onto Tillary Street and take ramp onto BQE

Queens-Bound Linden Boulevard detour

  • Exit Gowanus Expressway at Prospect Expressway
  • Exit at 10th Avenue
  • Turn right onto 10th Avenue
  • Turn left onto McDonald Avenue
  • Turn left onto Caton Avenue
  • Continue onto Linden Boulevard

Detour routes to Conduit Avenue with connections to Nassau Expressway, Van Wyck Expressway and the Long Island Expressway via the Van Wyck Expressway

An estimated 130,000 vehicles use the BQE daily, making it one of the most trafficked local expressways, according to city data.

Similar repairs and replacement work was conducted last October. This weekend’s repairs will be followed by a final round of repairs expected on June 1 to 3, the DOT said in a statement.

For a full breakdown of additional travel restrictions, check here.