On Oct. 9, NYSDOT scrapped a longtime plan to build a separate roadway that would divert the flow of traffic through a stretch of the expressway while it rehabbed five bridges in dire need of repairs.
Bronx environmental and transit advocates celebrated a “huge” victory at a virtual press conference Tuesday in their fight to stop an expansion of the Cross Bronx Expressway through the $900 million New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) Five Bridges Project.
The traffic diversion structure would bring traffic closer to an already heavily polluted neighborhood and hang over public green space that the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition says has sunlight and tree canopy coverage.
Siddhartha Sanchez, executive director of the Bronx River Alliance, a key leader of the coalition, said that the victory is a big step in preserving community led solutions that have improved the environment and quality of life in the area, like the restoration of the Bronx River and its greenways and parks.
“ We want projects that help our environment and health, not make it worse,” Sanchez said. “We hope to collaborate with the state and the city on defining more green spaces and green infrastructure related to the Five Bridges project, proactively supporting the changes that have been made in this part of the Bronx.”
This rollback marked a second big win in recent weeks for community leaders and advocacy organizations. In August, NYSDOT also halted its plans to proceed with an option that would have turned the traffic diversion structure into an additional roadway, increasing vehicular traffic permanently, rather than for the life of the construction project.
The remaining options for the new structure would repurpose it for pedestrian use or tear it down after construction was completed.
Marie Therese Dominguez, commissioner of NYSDOT, said that the strong community opposition made it apparent that the traffic diversion structure was not a workable solution in a statement announcing the state’s plans to ditch the latest options.
“The feedback we received from the community made it clear that the use of a traffic diversion structure was a non-starter, so we have eliminated those options from consideration,” Commissioner Dominguez said.
“We will now move forward with reviewing the last remaining build option and we will continue to work with the community to progress this important project that needs to be done to fix these critical bridges, while enhancing safety and improving connectivity along this vital transportation corridor,” she added.
Yet, coalition members said they won’t stop fighting until the Five Bridges project halts all the options to repair the bridges which involve any unnecessary expansions of the highway’s footprint. The remaining state proposal, Option Two, would repair the bridges in a staged construction, shutting down lanes individually while making repairs to specific portions of the highway.
The official state planning website shows that the remaining option would still add an additional “shared use” pedestrian and bike path along the highway with a large ramp connecting it to street level.
Sanchez celebrated the win, but also criticized the remaining proposal over the plans to add a shared path and for not doing enough to address community concerns about polluted runoff from stormwater.
“ This plan is unacceptable as it stands,” Sanchez said. “It would have people walking and biking right alongside the highway’s toxic fumes, and it would send more polluted water into the river.”
The announcement noted that DOT would consider plans that did not involve a shared use path along the expressway.
But the coalition said that it didn’t want to stop at just eliminating what it saw as harmful parts of the state’s proposals to repair the bridges on the Cross Bronx — they hoped to introduce new ideas into the project like stormwater drainage solutions, new access points to green space and public transit priorities.
Leaders said they saw DOT’s announcement as a turning point in the community’s relationship with the state agency, which has been strained by a fundamental disagreement over the characterization of the Five Bridges Project as a highway expansion. NYSDOT maintains that the project is by no means an expansion of a highway, only a necessary infrastructure repair to maintain safety through the corridor.
But community members, elected officials and coalition members accused NYSDOT of shutting them out of the planing process for months and intentionally misleading the public about the repairs to the bridges so the state could covertly expand the roadway.
The NYSDOT told the Bronx Times in a statement that it was including community stakeholders in all stages during the process and had made decisions to pull plans from consideration because it was responsive to the needs of the community.
“The environmental review process for the project to replace or rehabilitate five brides along the Cross Bronx Expressway is ongoing and no final decisions about the project’s design features have been made,” NYSDOT said in a statement.
“The New York State Department of Transportation welcomes public feedback and remains committed to working with the community at every step in the process. NYSDOT is also committed to being a good steward of the environment and working with our contractors, will ensure that all state and federal regulations are followed and proper safeguards are implemented to protect the Bronx River ecosystem during construction.”
As planning continues, Bronx leaders say the community must stay involved to ensure that infrastructure projects serve the public good — not deepen the burdens of pollution and disinvestment that residents have endured for decades.
Reach Sadie Brown at sbrown@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! 
