State Department of Transportation Dismisses Two Potential Design Options from Consideration in Cross Bronx Expressway Project

State Department of Transportation Dismisses Two Potential Design Options from Consideration in Cross Bronx Expressway Project

Build Alternatives 1A & 1B Dismissed in Environmental Review After Public Feedback

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez today announced that in response to feedback from the local community, the Department has narrowed the number of potential design options being considered for the project to replace or rehabilitate five bridges along the Cross Bronx Expressway. Options 1A and 1B, which would have retained a traffic diversion structure and provided post-construction access to it for local-road vehicles or buses, have been dismissed from further consideration. The dismissal of these options will be documented in the forthcoming Draft Environmental Assessment report.  All of the remaining options – including those that would provide improved access for bicyclists and pedestrians - will continue to be evaluated and NYSDOT remains committed to engaging with the community at every step of the process as we proceed with this important project to enhance safety and improve connectivity along the Cross Bronx Expressway corridor.

“The public has spoken, and we are listening,” Commissioner Dominguez said. “Based on our public outreach efforts, it has become crystal clear that Options 1A and 1B do not have community support, so we are not advancing them. We have said from the very start of this process that it would be shaped by public input, and we meant it. Working in partnership with the community on this project we are determined to work together to achieve a meaningful and necessary transportation investment for the Bronx.”

The project to replace or rehabilitate five bridges on the Cross Bronx Expressway is necessary to enhance public safety and preserve a vital travel artery that serves approximately 150,000 vehicles each day. This project is not an expansion of the highway. The bridges, which are located between Boston Road and Rosedale Avenue, were constructed between 1947 and 1958, and do not meet modern design standards for safety. They have suffered significant deterioration and have reached the end of their service lives.

As part of the ongoing environmental review process, several design options are being considered to accommodate traffic during construction and provide multi-modal connectivity.  Some of the options include the use of a traffic diversion structure (TDS) to detour expressway traffic away from the construction area, easing congestion and allowing construction to proceed at an expedited pace. Option 1A would have turned the TDS into a four-lane, post-construction roadway for local traffic and buses with a shared use path for pedestrians and cyclists. Option 1B would have converted the TDS into a two-lane post-construction roadway for exclusive bus use with a shared use path.   

Earlier this year, during a series of public meetings, community members expressed little support for these two options (1A & 1B) and voiced concerns related to traffic on the new structure. As a result of that feedback, those options were dismissed. The remaining options, which either do not include a TDS or would limit its post-construction access to pedestrians and cyclists, will continue to be reviewed as part of the ongoing environmental review process. The review process will be documented in the forthcoming Draft Environmental Assessment, which NYSDOT expects to be completed this fall. NYSDOT appreciates the community engagement in this project to date and looks forward to continued engagement as the project proceeds. As required by state and federal law, a public comment period will be in place after the formal release of the Draft Environmental Assessment.

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