Design and Construction Report staff writer
New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez has announced that two design options for replacing or rehabilitating five aging bridges along the Cross Bronx Expressway have been removed from consideration after receiving little support from the community.
Options 1A and 1B, which would have retained a traffic diversion structure (TDS) and converted it into a permanent roadway for vehicles or buses after construction, will not advance further. The decision will be reflected in the forthcoming Draft Environmental Assessment, expected later this fall.
“The public has spoken, and we are listening,” 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.”
The $ project, focused on five bridges between Boston Road and Rosedale Avenue, is not an expansion of the Cross Bronx Expressway but rather an effort to address deteriorated structures that date back to 1947–1958. Carrying roughly 150,000 vehicles each day, the expressway is considered a vital transportation artery in the Bronx.
Remaining design options under review will continue to prioritize safety while also evaluating opportunities to improve pedestrian and cyclist connectivity along the corridor. Some alternatives include limiting post-construction TDS use to pedestrians and cyclists, eliminating the possibility of additional vehicle traffic.
The Draft Environmental Assessment will include a public comment period once it is released, as required by state and federal law. NYSDOT says it will maintain ongoing engagement with local communities throughout the review and design process.
“This is about making a meaningful and necessary transportation investment for the Bronx,” Dominguez said. “Working in partnership with the community, we are determined to move forward in a way that enhances safety and improves connectivity for everyone.”
