NYSDOT suspends major project to repair Cross Bronx Expressway bridges amid community pushback

The only thing stakeholders seemed to agree on was that the bridges required critical improvements to maintain their structural integrity. Environmental and transit advocates, along with local elected officials, fought state and federal transportation agencies for more than two years about plans they said would expand an environmentally toxic and historically harmful roadway.

“After extensive discussions marked by public protests, an increased public awareness campaign, and multiple delayed deadlines, state officials announced last night they were shelving the plans.

“Based on community feedback, the Department significantly scaled back the project last year, eliminating elements that the community did not agree with while adding new elements at their request,” NYSDOT Regional Director Erik Koester said in a statement. “Despite our best good faith efforts to bring this safety project forward, we have been unable to come to an agreement on how to successfully advance this project.

Leading advocates like Siddartha Sanchez, executive director of the Bronx River Alliance, told amNewYork that last night’s announcement marked a stark pivot from where discussions were just last week.

“ We thought we were going to continue working out the details of mitigation investments and the future of the corridor and engagement around the future of the corridor in order for the state to continue advancing its plans for the Five Bridges project,” said Sanchez. “But it sounds like they chose another direction.”

The Cross Bronx Expressway is considered, to many observers, as one of the longstanding reminders of racial and class injustice in NYC. Built during the 1950s and 1960s under the direction of urban planner Robert Moses, the highway and its constant traffic contributed to poor air quality and devastating asthma rates in the city’s poorest borough.

When the state proposed the so-called “Five Bridges Project,” which included multiple options to extend the highway with shoulders and even a secondary structure to divert traffic, environmentalists and community organizers were alarmed.

Sanchez told amNewYork that the suspension of the project was a net win for the coalition of community organizations and elected leaders who opposed the repairs as proposed.

“ This is a win for the community because community voices were heard,” Sanchez said. “It is a loss anytime that the government is not working with the community to address infrastructure challenges.”

But he also worried about the aging bridges’ safety, particularly after incidents last week in which large chunks of concrete broke off the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, damaging cars and sending one driver to the hospital.

In cases where repairs are considered an “emergency,” the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) grants exemptions called “categorical exclusions,” some of which do not require the same rigorous environmental studies and public transparency. It’s a fear that Sanchez and fellow advocates have been hesitant to name. 

“ We are hoping is not a calculated decision on behalf of the state,” Sanchez said. 

NYSDOT has not yet responded to a request for comment. 

Still, Sanchez remained hopeful that the state and its partners would return to the table with a new plan to repair the bridges, which centered community feedback and focused on mitigating the harms of past environmental discrimination. 

“I want to believe that the work is gonna advance in a participatory way,” Sanchez said. “We’re hoping and pushing for state officials to do it in that way, working proactively with local residents and community groups. We hope the state is suspending the project to, to make it better—to better account for community priorities.”