City Completes Grand Concourse Reconstruction From E. 175th St. to Fordham Road

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City Completes Grand Concourse Reconstruction From E. 175th St. to Fordham Road

Fourth phase complete on schedule and on budget; entire boulevard being rebuilt with safety enhancements, better pedestrian access

DOT: 212-839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov
DOT: 718-595-6600, DEPPressOffice@dep.nyc.gov
DDC: Ian Michaels, 646-939-6514, michaelia@ddc.nyc.gov

(Bronx, NY – September 8, 2023) The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), NYC Department of Environmental Protection and NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) today joined community members and local elected officials to celebrate the reconstruction of Grand Concourse in the Bronx from E. 175th Street to Fordham Road, the fourth phase of a program to rebuild the entire boulevard with safety features, improved pedestrian access and additional enhancements such as bike lanes, bollards, wider medians and better street lighting. DDC managed the project for DOT and DEP.

Grand Concourse from E. 175th Street to Fordham Road has been rebuilt with new curbs, crosswalks, pedestrian ramps, lighting and other safety enhancements

This part of the overall reconstruction of Grand Concourse began in April 2020 and was completed in June on time and on budget at a cost of $62.5 million. Phase 3 of the program, which rehabilitated Grand Concourse from E. 171st Street to E. 175th Street, was completed in August 2020. Phase 5, which will span from E. Fordham Road north to E. 198th St., is expected to begin construction in mid-2024.

New bike lane on the reconstructed Grand Concourse

“Under Mayor Eric Adams, equity is central to all that we do, and the investment in the dramatic reconstruction of the Grand Concourse proves it,“ said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “With special thanks to our colleagues at DDC, we are proud to now have the beautiful, tree-lined boulevard that Bronxites deserve, with so many new amenities – as well as the new bicycle lanes, traffic signals, and raised crosswalks that we know will make these communities safer.”

“The continued reconstruction of the Grand Concourse shows that Mayor Eric Adams and his administration are committed to improving the quality of life for Bronxites,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “To combat the extreme weather brought about by climate change and the flooding it can sometimes cause, we upgraded the roadway’s drainage network by doubling the number of catch basins that capture stormwater. Additionally, the newly added tree canopy will reduce urban heat island effect and provide shady respite for pedestrians and cyclists enjoying the enhanced, safer streetscape.”

“DDC is proud to celebrate the completion of the $62.5M Grand Concourse Phase 4 street reconstruction and underground infrastructure upgrades project in collaboration with our colleagues at DOT and DEP,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley. “This project makes this 'Great Street' safer for pedestrians and bikers, and includes many tools in the City’s engineering tool belt - all delivered on-time and on-budget for this Bronx community.”

Project details

The safety and design changes that are being brought to the Grand Concourse under the Great Streets program have been proven to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, and under Vision Zero, the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the corridor has declined dramatically. From 2012-2016, before operational changes came to the street, pedestrian KSI along the street was 12.8 per mile, qualifying it as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor. During the 2017-2021 period, when many of the safety improvements had either been initially added or completed as part of Great Streets reconstruction, that number had declined by 40 percent to 7.7 per mile.

The major modal change as part of Great Streets has been the addition of separated bicycle lanes along medians. New, wider landscaped and planted medians were added to decrease pedestrian crossing time while curb extensions, bollards and high-visibility crosswalks were installed to further enhance pedestrian safety. High-efficiency ornamental street lighting maintains the historic nature of the boulevard while new wayfinding signs help direct people to their destinations.

Work included the replacement of almost 388,000 square feet (8.9 acres) of sidewalks along Grand Concourse along with more than 40,000 feet (7.59 miles) of new steel and concrete curbs. Another 406,000 square feet (9.3 acres) of new asphalt was used to repave the streets. A total of 299 ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps were also installed.

Underground, more than 2,000 feet of water mains and sewers were replaced while the number of catch basins in the area almost doubled from 53 to 105, helping to improve stormwater drainage. A total of 83 new trees were added and 13 older fire hydrants were replaced with new ones.

“The Grand Concourse is one of the crown jewels of our borough that serves as a major throughway for our residents and families,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. “With today`s announcement, we are one step closer to making the Grand Concourse safer for residents and visitors to the borough with high visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, and ornamental street lighting among some of the major changes to this historic corridor. I want to thank the Department of Transportation, Department of Design and Construction, and Department of Environmental Protection for their work on this project and their commitment to pedestrian safety in our borough. We look forward to the completion of Phase 5.”

“I want to thank The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), NYC Department of Environmental Protection and NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) for the reconstruction of Grand Concourse in the Bronx from E. 175th Street to Fordham Road,” said Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia. “The investment of $62.5 million represent the rebuilding of the entire boulevard with safety features, improved pedestrian access and additional enhancements such as bike lanes, bollards, wider medians and better street lighting.”

About the NYC Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation’s (NYC DOT) mission is to provide for the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods in the City of New York and to maintain and enhance the transportation infrastructure crucial to the economic vitality and quality of life of our primary customers, City residents. NYC DOT’s staff manage an annual operating budget of $1.4 billion and a ten-year $33 billion capital program, along with 6,300 miles of streets and highways, over 12,000 miles of sidewalk, and approximately 800 bridges and tunnels, including the iconic East River bridges. NYC DOT’s staff also installs and maintains nearly one million street signs, 13,250 signalized intersections, over 315,000 street lights, and over 350 million linear feet of markings.

About the NYC Department of Environmental Protection
DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.5 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP also protects the health and safety of New Yorkers by enforcing the Air and Noise Codes and asbestos rules. DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $31.3 billion in investments over the next 10 years. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor Adams’ long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $24 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.