The southbound BQE approaches center span of the old Kosciuszko Bridge one February day in long ago 1999, crossing the rather polluted Newton Creek separating Maspeth, Queens from Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This bridge was ripped down and replaced in 2016 by a state of the art 21st century twin span bridge. The gas tanks peeking out behind the bridge were similar to sister tanks once known as "The Elmhurst Tanks" that used to serve as constant traffic report landmarks on the Long Island Expressway. These tanks, however, never received the same traffic report fame despite their visibility, because the Kosciuszko Bridge itself was THEE landmark here. Now none of them are landmarks because none of them exist anymore. The tanks were imploded years ago in what amounted to a public execution spectacle and the old bridge's demise was not much more dignified. The bridge at least had a successor waiting to take over for it. We'll never see the likes of those tanks ever again.

The doomed tanks got another shot at recognition after the bridge's center span is passed, but again they found themselves upended, this time by an exit who's twin-billed destinations formed a catchy combo that radio traffic reporters apparently found irresistible. Exit 34 is for Meeker and Morgan Avenues, Meeker essentially becoming the BQE's service road throughout the Greenpoint, Brooklyn section. The exit itself was probably not even noticed by most drivers passing it, but was drilled into the subconscious of untold millions of radio news listeners as "Meeker-Morgan", as most news stations blared the latest traffic conditions on this oft-jammed section of the BQE, up to 6 times an hour during the week.

As the I-278 BQE curved its way down from the Kosciuszko Bridge towards exit 34, the lower Manhattan skyline cames into full view. Just behind the second braced "Bigloop" lamppost lining the southbound lanes, the Brooklyn tower of the Williamsburgh Bridge could be glimpsed. Anheuser Busch had a lockhold on the best billboard spot. The presence of beer advertising to tons of high speed motorists is kind of ironic, given the new policy in NYC of confiscating the vehicles of ANYONE stopped for the DWI. This ad is not aimed at homebound traffic either, where the tempted driver can kick back with a sixer at home and not have to navigate another trip until the next day. It's aimed at drivers who, for the most part, are headed in a direction from where they will have to return, possibly within a few hours or less. Even if they will be at their destination long enough to buy a few Buds, get drunk, and sober up again before returning home, chances are that destination is their job. That would do wonders for the productivity and workplace safety of such tipplers. Was it intentional placement on Busch's part, or that of their media buyer? Maybe I'm making more of this than I should, but all in all, it would seem more politic for this ad to face the mostly homebound north traffic instead. On not only this page, but other pages covering the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, I make numerous mentions of what has since changed in the views. Well, none of those changes or disappearing landmarks weigh more heavily upon us that the sad, eerie landmarks visible on the right, the doomed Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, both of which perished along with thousands of victims of the 9-11 attacks only 2-1/2 years after I took these photos.