The Cross-Bronx Expressway. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.
The first meeting will be held tonight. On March 24, 2023, agency officials from the city’s Departments of Transportation, City Planning, Health and Mental Hygiene joined and officials from the New York State Department of Transportation announced the start of the community engagement process to address ongoing issues with the Cross Bronx Expressway.
Last December, the agencies announced that a $2 million federal grant was awarded for a study to help identify strategies to fix long-standing health and community issues connected to the Cross Bronx Expressway. The expressway, constructed in the 1950s and 60s, cut through several communities across the Bronx; the construction of the expressway displaced residents, cut off parts of the community from each other, and introduced new health hazards to the community with the additional vehicle traffic using the expressway. Residents in the communities surrounding the Cross Bronx Expressway have higher rates of asthma and other respiratory issues, and have higher rates of other health conditions including diabetes and hypertension. For CityLand’s prior coverage, click here.
The community engagement process will help the agencies identify issues and develop strategies for overcoming these adverse outcomes. The first hearing will be held virtually tonight, March 30 from 6 PM to 8 PM. Another virtual session will be held April 10th from 6 PM to 8 PM. To register for these events, click here.
Three in-person sessions are also scheduled. The sessions are:
-Saturday, April 1, 11 AM to 2 PM at Bronx River Art Center, 1087 East Tremont Avenue
-Monday, April 3, 6 PM to 9 PM at Davidson Community Center, 2038 Davidson Avenue
-Tuesday, April 4, 5 PM to 8 PM at PS 106 Parkchester Elementary School Cafeteria, 1514 Olmstead Avenue
Later this spring, the agencies will also host two rounds of issue identification workshops. For more information about the study, click here.
Deputy Mayor for Economic & Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer stated, “The Cross-Bronx Expressway Study presents a critical opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and create more just and healthy neighborhoods through changing the infrastructure that literally divides us. We look forward to hearing from as many voices as possible and working together to lay the groundwork for a more connected future.”
Edith Hsu-Chen, Executive Director of the Department of City Planning, stated, “Together with Bronx communities, Mayor Adams, and partners throughout government, we are crafting a holistic vision for the Cross Bronx Expressway corridor to envision a cleaner, healthier borough and remedy mistakes of the past. Stakeholders from across the borough and city have an opportunity to share how they’ve been affected by the Cross Bronx and what they would like to see built in the years to come.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)
It was indeed a travesty when Commissioner Robert Moses, with little objection, divided so many Bronx neighborhoods. Nilka Martell’s idea to cover over the expressway is absolutely doable.
It’d be nice to place infrastructure that will “re-unite” the affected neighborhoods with shared amenities including green open space. Considering the very long term plans required to implement such an idea, I predict that concerns for dealing with air pollution under the cap will be addressed by phasing out fossil fuel powered vehicles. Both Nilka & I are members of The Bronx Council for Environmental Quality. http://www.bceq.org