New York state officials have nixed plans to build an elevated diversion road alongside a mile-long stretch of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, yielding to community opposition even as the highway is due for a major upgrade.
The state transportation department announced this week it will now consider other options for completing the Cross Bronx Bridges Project, which involves repairing or replacing five crumbling bridges along the heavily trafficked highway.
The department said Thursday it will continue to take community feedback into account while finalizing its plans. It initially proposed building the temporary structure as a way to divert traffic while completing the $900 million highway rehabilitation project, which is slated to get underway next year.
Bronx community advocates and elected officials protested the diversion road, which was supposed to rise over the Bronx River and Starlight Park. Critics argued it would have increased congestion and reduced tree canopy in a borough where highway pollution already contributes to high asthma rates.
“The feedback we received from the community made it clear that the use of a traffic diversion structure was a nonstarter, so we have eliminated those options from consideration,” state Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said.
Under a pending proposal, a service road would be built alongside the Cross-Bronx Expressway. It would be turned it into a pedestrian pathway, as depicted in this rendering, after repairs on the highway are complete.
Local environmental advocates are celebrating the news.
“It's a massive win and a huge relief for the South Bronx,” said Siddhartha Sánchez, executive director of the Bronx River Alliance, a nonprofit that acts as a steward for the waterway. “Now that we are full partners at the table, we look forward to working with Gov. [Kathy] Hochul and [the state transportation department] toward a more just, sustainable vision of the corridor.”
State officials say the Cross Bronx Bridges Project is needed to make the aging highway safer. Without the diversion road, the project is expected to take two years longer, with construction finishing in 2032, according to a timeline published by the transportation department.
The agency says it will release an assessment of the environmental impact of its plans for the Cross Bronx Bridges Project this fall, which will be subject to public comment before being finalized.
Several Bronx politicians joined the fight against the diversion road in recent months, urging transportation officials to take community feedback into account.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and state Assemblymember Amanda Séptimo will join members of the Bronx River Alliance on Friday to paddle along the river and discuss sustainable ways to improve the corridor.
