NEW YORK - New York Knicks star and Brooklyn native Carmelo Anthony says the proposed BQX Connector streetcar project would be a slam dunk for his old neighborhood.
In a video released Monday by a non-profit group that supports the proposal, Anthony talks about the lack of transit options in Red Hook, where he lived as a young child.
The nine-time NBA All Star says young people in areas served by the BQX would have greater access to the economic, educational, and creative opportunities offered by the city.
"When I was a kid, traveling was very difficult. There's not that many options to get out of there. If you don't catch the bus, ain't no telling when the next one is coming. It forces people to kind of stay in a bubble," Anthony says in the video.
The streetcar would run along the East River waterfront between Astoria, Queens and Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
The project would cost about two and a half billion dollars.
Fares would cost the same as the subway.
City officials hope to break ground in 2019, and have the streetcar up and running by 2024.