This site is closed to new comments and posts.

Notice: This site uses cookies to function.
If you are not comfortable with cookies then please don't browse this website.

BQE entrance on Prospect Ave/3rd Ave — Brooklynian

BQE entrance on Prospect Ave/3rd Ave

kristin101
kristin101
edited November -1 in Park Slope

Does anyone know how to find out on a daily basis whether or not the entrance ramp to the BQE (Staten Island bound) that is on the corner of Prospect Ave and 3rd Ave is open? I take that ramp to work, and if it is closed it makes a big difference in how long it takes me to get to work. It seems lately some days it is open and some it is closed, and I would just like to know ahead of time. I checked the DOT traffic advisories and I can't find any information about it. Thanks!

Comments

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    its only close in the mornings for hov lane to goto mahattan and i think after 11am(not 100% sure about time) it turns back into a normal lane again towards staten island/ belt parkway.

  • kristin101
    kristin101

    I take the one ramp at Prospect and 3rd (Staten Island bound not Manhattan bound) every morning around 8:10am and in the past month the on ramp has been closed several times for construction, with no notice.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    yes the staten island bound one is close always in the mornings cause they turn that lane into a Manhattan lane up stairs its a hov lane. later on during the day they use those big machines to move concrete barriers and return it back to staten island and belt lane again. you won't notice it unless you're up there.

    down stairs where you would notice is just close lane. but up stairs they move around the barriers. been like this forever.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    its 6am to 10am, but not that accurate because alot of times the barriers still up till like close to 11am.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior


  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    if you look at the picture it would say close to hov operation. if its the same one we are talking about.

  • kristin101
    kristin101

    Yes that's the one. It WAS closed every morning until I believe September or October,

    but then it's been open every morning from September until the recent few weeks when some mornings it's closed and some it's open (I take this to work everyday at the same time). Just wondering if there's a way to know when it is closed or when it's open, because it being closed affects what time I have to leave and how I go to work.

  • idlewild
    idlewild

    Drive to work an hour or more earlier than usual, one day, during the week, and see if the entrance to the Prospect Expressway by the toll booths (where north bound Columbia Street intersects with east bound Hamilton Avenue is open. You get there by taking Hamilton Avenue (going towards the Battery Tunnel entrance) past the tunnel. Stay on your left and make the 180 following the 1/2 circle. You will see a sign ahead of you saying entrance to the BQE/Atlantic Ave. Go to the entrance farther left of that. It will put you on the Gowanus going towards Staten Island. Saying all this, and I said a lot, I believe they only close this entrance during afternoon rush hour. If it's closed during the morning, your best bet is probably 4th Avenue to end, where you can pick up the Belt.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    past few months i forget when they close it work on it.

    other than that, its close from 6am to 10am officially for hov lane, but unofficially they close till almost 11am.

  • doldrums
    doldrums

    it has been open most mornings, however intermittently they close it for roadwork. I travel to NJ everyday and that being open or closed makes a 15 minute difference for me in commute time. Yet there is no place to find it out the info. i asked one of the workers and he shrugged his shoulders. those talking about the HOV lanes are 3 months out of date, as you know, as they have finished construction on a piece of the BQE and no longer require the ramp closed for HOV use as they used to.

  • slopestar
    slopestar

    I totally get where you are coming from doldrums. I have been commuting to SI every morning for the last 4.5 years, always wishing for that ramp to be open. I carefully observed every stage of the construction project and even went on the DOT website looking for a sign that the ramp would become open for my morning commute. Every so often (major holidays, e.g., MLK day) the ramp would miraculously be open, probably because there was no morning commute to accommodate, and it everything was right in the world. But alas, the next day it would be closed, and my commute would be once again be relegated to the crap hole that is 3rd ave. But one day back in early November my prayers were finally answered. The construction was over, and the ramp was open for my daily use, I was happily zipping to work 10 minutes faster than usual. My life had improved. I loved that ramp the way a child loves a puppy that he has begged and begged his parents to buy for him.

    Fast forward to February and my world is upside down once more. It started with intermittent morning closures, but this past week it was closed every day. I approach from prospect ave, and i much prefer to take 4th ave a few blocks before going over the 3rd, so now every morning i have to try to judge if the ramp is open by looking down prospect ave from 4th. This is not easy because there is a lot of traffic obstructing the view, and the sign is difficult to see from prospect ave because it is parallel to my sightline. And to make matters worse, they just have the sign hanging around down there even when the ramp is not closed, so I don't just have to see If the sign is there, but I have to try to guess if it is in the street or simply next to the street.

    I mean could they do us a solid and put it somewhere out of sight when it's not being used to close the ramp? Or better yet, could they put another sign further up prospect ave (maybe at the corner of 4th) to give us some advance notice of the closure? Traffic actually gets a little dangerous down there as people realize at the last minute thatbthe ramp is closed and then have to quickly veer off...

    Anyway, not sure what can be done, I am afraid to complain to the DOT because I'm pretty sure they'll just permanetly close it in retaliation, but I feel your pain...

    Thanks for listening, I feel better now...

  • kristin101
    kristin101

    Thanks doldrums and slopestar! I also take that ramp every morning (or, try to!) and have been very frustrated by the unpredictability of will it be open or won't it each morning since mid-February. I know they don't "always" close it for the HOV lane from 6-10 or 11 because from November to February it was open everyday when I took it at around 8:10. It also makes a difference in my commute, as I need to get on the Belt Parkway, and taking 4th or 3rd Ave all the way down instead of the BQE is a mess, and I need to plan to leave much earlier if I know it is closed. Lately I've had to leave very early, and if it's open it is a bonus.....but not to complain but I work very long hours (sometimes 12.5 hour days) and every few minutes to me makes a big difference in the morning, and I just wish there was a way to know the night before if it was going to be open or closed. ANYWAY, now that I know other people in my situation as well and that other people know what I'm talking about with the "will it be open or closed?" frustration please let me know if you find out any information about this current construction project, when it will finish, and if there is any way to find out when the ramp is open or closed, I would really appreciate it!!! I have not been able to find any info on the DOT website or any traffic reports.

  • slopestar
    slopestar

    Ramp was closed M-Thurs this week (getting there around 8:00-8:15). Friday we got there at like 7:45, and they were in the process of closing it. Like the cones were set up and the guy was dragging out the sign as I drove through, it felt like a buzzer beater... Not sure if this is the regular system or if I just got lucky, but it was awesome. Even with the emotional roller coaster I still love that ramp, and I can't wait for it to be back to normal.

    Also, my theory here is that the ramp closure is related to the construction they are doing on the outer lane of the BQE right at the ramp. Either they have to move traffic over into the entrance lane of the ramp so they can close the lane adjacent to the construction, or they are storing equipment (maybe parking their personal vehicles) on the ramp or entrance lane. Either way i'd like to know whats going on up there at that time so i can make a prediiction about when the regular operation will be restored.

  • doldrums
    doldrums

    it was open this AM, looks like the construction on the ramp is over , for now.

  • slopestar
    slopestar

    open all five mornings this week, times ranging from 7:45-8:15.

    I have a feeling there will be more intermittent closures in the future, but boy do I love that ramp!!!

  • kristin101
    kristin101

    Thank god! I appreciate that ramp so much after not having it!!

  • slopestar
    slopestar

    Mon, Tues, Wed: open

    Thurs (8:25): closed

    Fri (7:50): closed

    My emotions are officially played with.

    Fingers crossed for next week.

Sign In or Register to comment.

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In

Categories