Intense rainfall from Hurricane Irene has compromised soil beneath a section of the shoulder adjacent to the right lane of the Queens-bound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway at Grace Court, near the Atlantic Avenue entrance, requiring overnight repairs that may cause delays. The roadway itself, which is supported by a separate structure and not by soil, has not been compromised and all three lanes will remain open and passable during the day.

Crews will conduct repair work nightly starting tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., when traffic volumes are at their lowest, and work will require the closure of one and sometimes two of the BQE’s three Queens-bound lanes to move and stage equipment. The on-ramp to the Queens-bound BQE at Atlantic Avenue will also be closed during these times to reduce the volume of merging traffic. These overnight changes will continue until further notice. Westbound BQE traffic heading toward Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will not be affected.

 To help alleviate the impact of repair work, Furman Street between Atlantic Avenue and Old Fulton Street will be converted starting tomorrow afternoon from one-way southbound to two-way operation. This conversion of Furman, which runs adjacent to the double-decked BQE, will provide an alternate route for traffic moving from Atlantic Avenue toward the Brooklyn Bridge and alternate BQE entrances at Sands Street and at Tillary Street.