Save the Sheridan Expressway!

:) I can understand my opponent's concern with Governor Cuomo's proposed removal of the Sheridan Expressway, however, the removal is actually positive and beneficial. Contention One - The Sheridan Expressway was Generally Bad for the Bronx According to Governor Cuomo, the Sheridan Expressway "carved up South Bronx neighborhoods" and caused a substantial rise in air pollution and asthma rates due to the presence of nearly 13,000 trucks transporting goods to and from nearby produce and wholesale markets every day. In his words, "It was a mess and it was ugly and it was loud. It was all these diesel trucks that were giving off fumes and emissions and literally, you have some of the highest asthma rates in the state right in that neighborhood because of all the trucks, and the community was saying. 'You're poisoning our kids. '" In fact, despite my opponent's personal opposition to the removal of the Sheridan Expressway, residents of the Bronx praised Governor Cuomo's decision. Local activist Ed Garcia Conde, who founded the website Welcome2TheBronx, claimed that Governor Cuomo's proposal was "definitely a welcome relief for the neighborhood. " The Bronx borough president, Ruben Diaz Jr. , called Governo Cuomo's plan "transformative" and asserted that Robert Moses (the man who designed the Sheridan Expressway) "didn't necessarily plan [the expressway's construction] with the consideration of the community. " Mitchell Moss, the director of New York University's Rudin Center For Transportation Policy and Management, claimed that "the Sheridan Expressway was Robert Moses at his worst. " Community activist and executive director of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice David R. Shuffler, who feared for his 1-year-old son's safety, claimed, "I hear trucks barrelling through my street every night and all day long. " Shuffler's organization had joined the South Bronx River Watershed Alliance, which "had been campaigning for changes to the Sheridan since 1999. " Contention Two - The Sheridan Expressway would be Replaced with a more Positive Boulevard Under Governor Cuomo's plan, the Sheridan Expressway would be replaced by a pedestrian-friendly boulevard. The boulevard would allow greater access to the revamped Starlight Park as well as the Bronx River. The new boulevard would keep large trucks farther away from communities, therefore lowering air pollution and asthma rates. Governor Cuomo has proposed allocating $700 million out of the state's budget to fund the removal of the Sheridan Expressway and construction of the new boulevard, which - although it was never explicitly stated in the sources I used - would likely create and support jobs in infrastructure. While $700 million may seem like a lot, the community appears to be fine with it. Ruben Diaz Jr. , who was also cited above, claimed, "You cannot put any dollar figure on the amount of quality time that families are going to be able to spend along the [Bronx] River. " Response to My Opponent's Argument Once again, I understand my opponent's concern with the removal of the Sheridan Expressway, however, this concern is misguided. He will still be able to reach his destinations when the new boulevard is constructed. My opponent claims that the Sheridan Expressway is "one of the Bronx's most iconic expressways" and that is was designed by Robert Moses; he then lists several of Moses's accomplishments. First of all, the Sheridan Expressway is widely unpopular (as I have proven in my first contention). Second, while I and even some of my sources agree that Robert Moses was a great "master builder", he failed to take the community into account when constructing the Sheridan Expressway. This decision is not "Cuomo's worst mistake" as my opponent insists. In fact, it is a very well-educated decision that takes the community and its concerns into account, which is what Robert Moses failed to do when constructing it.