Battle of Brooklyn, largest battle of Revolutionary War, reenacted in Prospect Park
A reenactment of the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War, “The Battle of Brooklyn,” took place before hundreds of spectators the morning of Aug. 22 at Long Meadow in Prospect Park. The event included approximately 300 historians in costume with muskets in tow presented by the Prospect Park Alliance, the Old Stone House of Brooklyn and the Brigade of the American Revolution as part of the U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Happy Monday in New York City, where generally, if you know the words “triple-cantilever bridge,” you’re either an urban planner or something has gone wrong.
The triple-cantilever, a stretch of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that runs through Brooklyn Heights and under the Brooklyn Promenade, was originally designed to last 50 years and support 50,000 daily vehicles. 72 years later, the structure now bears the brunt of 130,000 cars and trucks a day. The city has kept it alive with various stopgap measures, but time is running out for a long-term solution. The strain is so intense that rusty rebar has broken out from the deteriorating concrete, causing chunks to break loose.
The two previous mayoral administrations of Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams tried unsuccessfully to advance a comprehensive restructuring proposal, eventually abandoning their plans after fierce opposition from residents. Now, Mayor Mamdani is on the case. “We’re going on two decades now of various planning, visioning efforts and analysis, and our administration recognizes this is one of the most urgent infrastructure challenges we’re facing,” city Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn told the City Reporter.
Mamdani announced a plan this morning to build a temporary two-level highway along a 1.5 mile stretch of the BQE while crews work to rebuild the crumbling triple-cantilever. The reconstruction is expected to last 10 years and cost about $4 billion. The city plans to start working on the temporary roadway in 2030 and the triple-cantilever in 2032, with the goal of fully reopening the restored BQE in 2040. Officials have not revealed where the funding is coming from, but promised the city would not rely on federal funds.
“ What this really represents is the simplest, most expedient, lowest cost way to address the most immediate and urgent needs with this major piece of infrastructure while minimizing impacts on surrounding communities and leaving the door open to larger visions,” Flynn told Gothamist.
The construction will result in closures along the popular Brooklyn Promenade, although officials have promised that at least one section of the Promenade will remain open at all times.
“We’re done kicking the can down the road,” Mamdani said in a video announcing the plan.
A 12-foot Burmese python being manhandled near the Coney Island boardwalk is safely in the custody of officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Mamdani Administration announced its new “Bus, Club” initiative, which encourages New Yorkers to skip the rideshare on a night out and opt for the MTA’s $3 bus routes.
The Renew Crew, a newly-launched team of 24 painters, electricians, plumbers and other trade specialists are escalating repairs on city playgrounds, sports courts and other recreation centers.
Access to doula care across NYC will expand, and six hospitals have received the first-ever certificates for being doula-friendly medical facilities.
A public comment period is now open for a Brownfield application and work plan at a site on Third Street in Gowanus.
DSNY leaders tour Sunset Park to discuss cleanliness and dumping issues.
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Our World In Photos
Photo: Francisco Seco/AP
UKRAINE — Whether it’s aquatic therapy or something else, most sporty activities are good for both body and mind: Ukrainian war veteran Yevhenii Lakhnenko puts on his goggles during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to participate in sports in a lake on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day.
For more pictures like this, see Our World in Photos.
BK Profiles
The Gowanus Canal has a pulse, and Gary Francis is measuring it
Gary Francis stands beside the Gowanus Canal. He’s been monitoring the canal’s water quality since July 2023. Photo: Olivia Richter/Brooklyn Eagle
Most days, Gary Francis bikes the short trip from his apartment to Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal. He carries a water-quality probe, but before lowering it into the water, he’s already looking. For fish, birds and tides, but also for the items people have flushed: Coney Island whitefish (condoms), tampons, human waste. The occasional dead rodent.
Francis has done this routine almost every day since July 2023. He tracks measurements over time and posts short videos of the canal on Instagram to over 3,000 loyal followers. It’s all in an effort to hold the Department of Environmental Protection accountable for the canal’s cleanup.
Three summers ago, as Brooklyn dried off from a stretch of heavy rain, Gowanus residents awoke to thousands of dead fish floating in the canal.
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Cartoon Sketchbook
By Michael De Adder
For the Road
Happy Birthday Chappelle’s Show” star Dave Chappelle!
On this day in 1911, the Eagle reported, “The anniversary of the Battle of Long Island, which took place August 27, 1776, will be celebrated next Sunday evening at the Fifth Avenue Theater, Fifth avenue and Fourth street, this borough. The theater sits very near the site of the famous Old Stone House of Gowanus, around which the battle centered. At the close of the performance on Sunday evening Superintendent William H. Hale will recite his original programme, ‘The Trilogy of Gowanus,’ in which the battle is commemorated.”
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