After learning that the MTA would be forced to re-route the Q13 and Q16 for one year due to a NYC Department of Parks and Recreation project at Fort Totten, Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein (D-Bayside) quickly arranged a meeting with elected officials, agency representatives, and local civic leaders. They worked together to find a solution which averted the re-route, so that the Q13 does not have to travel through a congested location near PS 169 and MS 294: Bell Academy, as well as through residential areas in Bay Terrace.

"I was proud to work with community leaders and agency representatives to find a solution allowing the Q13 and Q16 bus routes to continue to use Fort Totten as a turnaround point despite the construction taking place there," said Assemblyman Braunstein. "It was gratifying to work together in an extremely short time frame to develop an alternative option that prevents the Q13 bus from being re-routed through a residential area in Bay Terrace. Thank you to the MTA, Senator Tony Avella, Speaker Christine Quinn, Community Board 7, the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, FDNY, the US Army, and the 109th Precinct.

"We are pleased that all parties involved were able to find a solution for the turnaround of the Q13/Q16 buses during the reconstruction at Fort Totten Park,” said Darryl Irick, New York City Transit’s Senior Vice President of Buses. “This will enable us to continue a vital service to the surrounding community during this year-long Parks Department project.”

"I am pleased that the MTA heeded my idea and listened to the concerns of the community in re-routing these buses through Fort Totten and not within a residential neighborhood," said Senator Tony Avella. "The long-awaited construction at Little Bay Park will cause some necessary disruptions. Yet, we cannot let the surrounding community bear the brunt of these disruptions. That is why this re-route is the right thing to do."

"The Parks Department’s planned Little Bay Comfort Station construction project would have re-routed the Q13 to take it past educational facilities whose streets are already heavily utilized by parents stopping their cars to drop off little children as well as by school buses," said NYC Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. "When alerted to this potentially hazardous situation, I was pleased to work with NYS Assemblyman Edward Braunstein and community leaders such as Warren Schreiber to ensure that MTA buses would utilize Fort Totten as their turnaround point, so that existing routes would not be drastically altered during the construction period. I am happy to see, after a period of weeks, that our new plan is working, and buses are effectively using the turnaround point at Fort Totten, keeping them off otherwise quiet residential streets."

"We are happy that we were able to work together with everyone for the betterment of our community to prevent the re-routing of the Q13 and Q16 buses," said Eugene T. Kelty, Jr., Chair and Marilyn Bitterman, District Manager of Community Board 7.

"This agreement proves that when people make a good faith effort to find solutions to difficult problems, exceptional things can happen," said Warren Schreiber, President of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, Inc. "A big thank you to the involved elected officials, government agencies and community leaders for reaching an accord that allows the Q13/Q16 buses to operate on their normal routes. This is a win-win situation for the entire community," said Warren Schreiber, President of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, Inc.