New York City and State Launch New Round of Workshops to Reimagine The Cross Bronx Expressway

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 22, 2024

Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov

New York City and State Launch New Round of Workshops to Reimagine The Cross Bronx Expressway

City and State seizing once-in-a generation opportunity to reimagine the Cross Bronx corridor and develop concepts with the community to lessen the highway’s negative effects on surrounding neighborhoods

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez (NYC DOT), New York City Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick (DCP), New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, and New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez today announced a new round of public workshops starting this June to reimagine the Cross Bronx Expressway from the Harlem River to Westchester Creek, helping to reconnect the communities divided by the expressway and lessen the negative effects it has had on surrounding neighborhoods for generations.

Building on successful previous rounds of outreach, agency partners reviewed hundreds of comments from community members, conducted research, and analyzed data to determine the next steps in the project. Based on public comments received, key desires raised by the community include access to open space, beautification, reconnecting communities, improved air quality, reduced noise, mitigation of traffic congestion, enhanced public safety, and better connections to public transit.

“From the beginning, public engagement has been a cornerstone of our collective effort to reimagine the Cross Bronx Expressway, and these upcoming workshops will be invaluable tools in helping us gain further insight into the community’s future vision for the corridor,” said New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. “As work continues on the study, the State Department of Transportation is in the planning stages on a transformational project along the Expressway that includes a multimodal community corridor, providing greater east/west connectivity and access to outdoor recreation and transit services. From the Sheridan Boulevard to Hunts Point, New York State’s infrastructure projects have significantly improved the quality of life for Bronx residents. We look forward to completing the study in partnership with New York City and getting to work on a major project that will have a positive impact on the community in the near future.”

“Thanks to our robust community engagement process, we have heard from a wide range of voices and partnered with community leaders to pinpoint the issues most important to Bronx residents along the Cross Bronx Expressway corridor,” said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We look forward to this next round of workshops to further refine community-driven concepts and create connected, safe, healthy, and strong communities along the Cross Bronx Expressway.”

“We hope New Yorkers will join us for this important opportunity to share their vision for the future of the Cross Bronx corridor, and to learn more about how we can begin to reconnect the communities of the Bronx that have been divided for too long,” said DCP Director Dan Garodnick.

“When it comes to what’s right for communities, no one knows better than the people who live there,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “We look forward to working together to develop proposals that will begin to lessen the health impacts that the highway has on these neighborhoods.”

Outreach Schedule

This new round of workshops will discuss findings from previous outreach and invite the public to develop concepts with the goal of creating connected, safe, healthy, and strong communities.

Workshops provide an opportunity for public input, questions, and comments. Spanish, Bengali and American Sign language interpretation will be provided. Families are encouraged to participate. The study team will be sharing a toolkit of concepts at in-person and virtual workshops and through the Community Partners program.

In-Person:

Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

PS 106 Parkchester, 1514 Olmstead Ave, Bronx, NY 10462

Workshop held in school cafeteria

Register to RSVP for the in-person workshop

Virtual:

Thursday, June 13, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

To request accessibility accommodations or translation services, contact the NYC DOT Bronx Borough Commissioner's Office at 212-748-6680 or email at CrossBronx@planning.nyc.gov at least three business days before the event.

Register to RSVP for the virtual workshop

Public Engagement

In December 2022, NYC Mayor Eric Adams kicked off a landmark study to Reimagine the Cross Bronx, accompanied by, among others, Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez of NYSDOT, representing Governor Kathy Hochul. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is funding this study with a $2 million grant as part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. In March 2023, city and state partners hosted public Open House events.

In spring and summer 2023, the agencies hosted the Issue Identification round of engagement to build on the insights gathered during Open Houses and invite a wide range of voices to work towards projects that improve communities while prioritizing technical and fiscal feasibility.

In fall 2023, the agencies conducted a series of ‘walkshops' to physically visit sites of concern along the corridor to build a better understanding of the issues, and launched the community partners program.

Agency partners collected feedback from the community through in-person and virtual events with 1,274 participants and 2,118 public comments. The team has also been meeting with students from local New York City schools to gather youth input and encourage their participation.

Website Resources

The project website is a one-stop-shop for all resources related to Reimagine the Cross Bronx. For updated information on the latest events, opportunities for community engagement, details on goals and timeline, materials from meetings, reports from Open House workshops, and opportunities for further connection, visit nyc.gov/CrossBronx. The Spanish website is available at nyc.gov/ElCrossBronx.

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