Research in Action Brooklyn Queens Expressway

Over the past 6 years, C2SMARTER has completed several research projects on a section of the BQE; work that culminated in unprecedented overweight truck enforcement legislation in late 2023.

overview

Infrastructure systems constitute a major part of the national investment and are critical for the mobility of our society and its economic growth and prosperity. The United States has an estimated $25 trillion investment in civil infrastructure systems, including all installations that transport, transmit, and distribute people, goods, energy, resources, services, and information. Road pavements, bridges, and other infrastructure systems are considered assets that require maintenance and proper management to guarantee their functionality to the U.S. economy, yet, the degree of deterioration due to the exposure to natural and manmade hazards such as overweight trucks is relatively high.

In New York City, major decisions must be made to allocate limited funding for repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the infrastructure network. These decisions should be based on integrating various sources of information to control the infrastructure systems and their deterioration using structural models coupled to traffic modeling at the network level, to help perform economic forecasting and lifecycle cost analysis.

“New York City is leading the country in protecting and reimagining our critical infrastructure, and the early data is clear that this first-in-the-nation weigh-in-motion program is successfully protecting this roadway so we can continue aggressively working to re-envision a safer and greener BQE”

“New York City is leading the nation with the launch of the first-ever automated weigh-in-motion enforcement system to reduce the number of overweight trucks on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Overweight trucks cause wear and tear that requires costly maintenance and reduces the lifespan of our roads and bridges. We’ve seen a sharp decline in overweight vehicles since we began issuing warnings in August and we expect that the program will continue to remove overweight trucks from our streets.”

“I’m glad that NYC DOT will finally be issuing violations for overweight trucks that are brazenly flouting the laws and contributing to the deterioration of the BQE. We must ensure the triple cantilever is safe for New Yorkers to use. I’m proud that WIM is working to safeguard the BQE’s infrastructure and I thank my partners in government and our community for their work and support in getting this done.”

"This legislation is a critically necessary step toward creating 21st-century and beyond infrastructure that our all-important interstate roadways require. Currently, illegally overweight, massive trucks are in large part responsible for the rapid disintegration of the BQE triple cantilever, which must be addressed. This legislation helps us get there faste"

"Using data supplied by new state-of-the-art sensors, deployed by C2SMART to aid DOT in assessing the structure, the BQE Expert Panel noted that many trucks on the roadway are in severe violation of BQE weight restrictions."

"The BQE is a Robert Moses-era relic in need of forward-thinking 21st-century solutions to reduce traffic, meet our climate goals, and bring communities back together. Today, we must protect the existing highway from further deterioration. This legislation will accomplish that by utilizing state-of-the-art technology to create a first-in-the-nation pilot to hold overweight trucks accountable and protect our infrastructure."

"I'm pleased to see that WIM enforcement is working to prevent costly damage to Brooklyn's infrastructure. While we need to ensure that overweight trucks do not cause additional damage, it remains critical that we reimagine the BQE from top to bottom. I thank the NYC DOT for the success of their WIM enforcement and look forward to continued collaboration with government partners and community members to reimagine the BQE."

Today on the BQE

The BQE is a critical unique New York City asset; one whose importance is underscored by its immense usage by various modes of transport on a daily basis. This consistent and longstanding use has led to wear and tear which will require long term remedy by the city to ensure its health and survival.

In the meantime, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is being undertaken to keep the bridge safe for the more than 153,000 average vehicles who use it daily. C2SMARTER data, largely collected by Weigh in Motion (WIM) sensors, has shown that there are illegally overweight trucks damaging the structure, which city officials are now taking unprecedented steps to mitigate.

Agency Partnership

In 2017, a multi-year contract was initiated with NYCDOT for SHM deployment. The partnership, which relies upon C2SMART research/analysis and NYCDOT installation/maintenance, led to the testbed’s finalized installation in 2021.

Learn more.

Legislation

In 2021, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed the BQE Overweight Truck Bill, signed into law effective 2022 by Governor Kathy Hochul.

This unprecedented legislation backed by C2SMART data authorizes automated overweight enforcement on a portion of the BQE, which began in November 2023 after a 90 day warning period.

Learn more.

What are Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and Weigh in Motion (WIM)?

SHM mitigates short-term problems using smart sensors to monitor the structural health and overall performance of infrastructure.

WIM devices capture axle weights and vehicle weights of moving vehicles. Vehicles are weighed without stopping, making it a more efficient method to collect data.

Learn more.

Why the BQE?

City officials have long recognized the need to ensure the health of one of New York’s greatest assets. In 2019, C2SMART Directors served on an Expert Panel initiated by the New York City Mayor’s Office to collect insights into the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and make skilled recommendations based on their findings.

Learn more.

Research Projects

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