Elected officials in Brooklyn are hitting the brakes on a plan to fix the crumbling triple-cantilever section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

“The current iterations of the plan and the ideas that this administration has for what the future of the BQE looks like, especially in the central portion of the BQE, I think is one that doesn’t speak to the New York City of the future,” Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said.

This section of the highway — located below the Brooklyn Heights Promenade — currently carries traffic on several levels. 

The latest plan by the Department of Transportation, which will undergo environmental review next year, would stack traffic lanes directly on top of each other and make the roadway 20% wider. But some elected officials, including Reynoso, are asking for more short-term fixes over the next few years.

“I also don’t think under this administration at the federal level and here in the city that we have progressive transportation thought and ideology as to what we should look like in the near future,” Reynoso said.

The “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” plan passed in December, with nine Brooklyn council members voting in favor and seven voting against. 

It includes funding for affordable housing and infrastructure and a tiered system for parking mandates. 

The plan projects the creation of about 80,000 new housing units across the city over the next 15 years.

“That is as insignificant a number as you could possibly imagine for a citywide, supposedly, transformative housing initiative,” Reynoso said.

According to a report by StreetEasy, the median rent in Brooklyn is about $3,500 — a 3% increase compared to 2023. The report also found nearly one in five available rentals in the city were in luxury buildings. In October, more than 2,200 amenity-rich units were on the market in Brooklyn, surging 52.3% from a year ago.

“If we don’t build more housing quickly, the reality is we’re either gonna be a borough of super rich and super poor with almost no middle class and we’re gonna lose more people every single year,” Reynoso said.

Next Fall, Citi Bike plans to add nearly 3,000 bikes and 250 stations in neighborhoods where transportation is scarce, including Bay Ridge, East New York, Kensington and Brownsville. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul also announced starting this spring there will be shorter wait times and more reliable service across 24 bus routes, including seven in Brooklyn.

“If we’re gonna ask them to try a new alternative or to move away from their vehicles, we need to give them viable options and it doesn’t exist in areas of Brooklyn,” Reynoso said.

The city will also shut down a 2,000-person migrant shelter at Floyd Bennett Field in next year. 

The lease will be terminated in March and migrants will be moved out in January before Donald Trump takes office again. In a borough that voted overwhelmingly Democrat in the recent election, Reynoso said he hopes this new administration will incentivize Brooklynites to unify, organize and take action.

“I think people are just fearful and I want us to be stronger again, to not be fearful, to be joyous, to be forward looking, to always know the best is in front of us, not behind us. And I think we’re gonna see some of that this year and I’m excited for it,” Reynoso said.