BQX needs federal assistance, de Blasio admits

The already delayed and complicated Brooklyn-Queens streetcar project is facing even more obstacles. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on WNYC on Friday that the city would need federal funding to move forward with the BQX plan, as the streetcar is known, the New York Post reports.

The statement contradicts what the city has maintained previously in regards to the BQX, that the city will entirely fund the $2.5 billion project. That being said, questions about the streetcar’s funding have been doing the rounds for quite some time now with some questioning if it was too costly to sustain itself.

Throughout it all, Mayor de Blasio has stressed that the project can sustain itself and that critics shouldn’t jump to conclusions before a full feasibility study has been completed. He’s also previously stated that taxes generated from the increased property values along the route of the ferry from Astoria to Sunset Park would help keep the streetcar going.

In addition, he also stated that if there isn’t any money for BQX, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” So, it seems like the city might now be exploring those options.

• De Blasio admits Brooklyn-Queens trolley needs federal cash [NYP]
• BQX misses key deadline, potentially delaying streetcar project by months [Curbed]
• Brooklyn-Queens streetcar may be unviable, leaked city memo suggests [Curbed]