Bronx Residents, Advocates, Electeds Celebrate Victory Against Cross Bronx Expansion, But Work Isn't Over

BRONX, NY (10/14/2025) (readMedia)-- This morning, Comptroller Brad Lander, Assemblymembers Emérita Torres, Amanda Séptimo, Karines Reyes, and City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías joined the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition for a virtual press conference to celebrate last week's major victory, emphasize their continued work against widening the Cross Bronx Expressway, and share their vision for a just, sustainable Cross Bronx.

Watch the press conference here.

Last Thursday, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) announced its decision to scrap plans to build a new traffic diversion structure for the Cross Bronx Expressway, in response to widespread community opposition to the project. The traffic diversion structure would have increased toxic emissions and pollution for nearly 64,000 residents living along the sited project area, already burdened by one of the nation's most congested highways.

Now that there are no longer proposals to build a traffic diversion structure, the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition is urging Governor Hochul and NYSDOT to eliminate proposals that would widen the existing Cross Bronx Expressway. Research shows that expanding a highway leads to more drivers using it and more congestion, meaning that reductions in traffic are erased within a short period.

The Cross Bronx is already one of the most congested, polluted corridors nationwide. With nearly 150,000 vehicles using the Cross Bronx daily, residents suffer from record-levels of asthma and heart disease due to high carbon emissions, consistently poor air quality, and insufficient cooling infrastructure. 62% of Bronxites live car-free and current infrastructure design remains inaccessible for pedestrians, wheelchair users and residents with mobility issues, and families pushing strollers.

"After tireless advocacy from our community, Governor Hochul and the state Department of Transportation listened and scrapped its most noxious proposals for the Cross Bronx Expressway - plans that would have threatened the environment and health of thousands of residents across our borough. It's a massive win and a huge relief for the South Bronx. Now that we are full partners at the table, we look forward to working with Governor Hochul and NYSDOT toward a more just, sustainable vision of the corridor. There's more work to do together, and we won't settle for any plan that widens the highway and further burdens our community," said Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance.

"The Bronx has fought for years to heal from the environmental and health damage caused by the Cross Bronx Expressway. NYSDOT's decision to drop these harmful expansion options is a long overdue step forward. The people of the Bronx deserve cleaner air, safer streets, and a real plan to reconnect our neighborhoods. I will keep working with community advocates to make sure this project delivers justice and lasting investment for the Bronx," said Congressman Ritchie Torres.

"We're proud to be part of this coalition that stood up and made it clear that a new highway in the South Bronx was unacceptable. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers will be breathing cleaner air, and that's a victory to celebrate today. Thank you to every elected official, advocacy partner, and volunteer who stood with us to demand no new highways. This is a massive victory, but the work doesn't stop here. We won't stop fighting until we truly reimagine the cross Bronx expressway and end all highway expansions in New York City. We won't double down on the mistakes of the past," said Elizabeth Adams, Deputy Director for Public Affairs, Transportation Alternatives.

"An environment that allows Bronx residents to breathe air that is not toxic and filled with pollution, that provides for safer pedestrian friendly streets is a major factor in their health and quality of life," said Charmaine Ruddock, Director of Bronx Health REACH. "We are happy that Governor Hochul and the State Department of Transportation listened to the community advocates and scrapped their plans to build an unnecessary new road along the Cross Bronx Expressway. This is a huge victory for all who joined forces to advocate against this plan. We look forward to our continued collaboration in ensuring a healthier Bronx for all residents."

"I'm so proud to stand with this incredible Coalition. This is a major victory for our health, our parks, and our future - and proof that when we organize, we win. The Bronx already suffers from the worst health outcomes in the state - we can't afford more pollution or traffic. We thank Governor Hochul and DOT for scrapping the worst proposals, and we're ready to keep working together for real, community-driven solutions," said Laura James, Bronx River Community Garden.

"The Bronx Council for Environmental Quality is proud to partner with the Bronx River Alliance to protect the environment. We congratulate the State DOT for choosing to use the low impact alternatives that cost less, protect our rivers, land & air, and, yet allow updates to our infrastructure. It's all about keeping the natural route for rain going into the soil and not just a pipe, and balancing clean air and water for all, without stopping the project," said Dart Westphal, Board Member of Bronx Council for Environmental Quality.

"We commend the NYS Department of Transportation for withdrawing its plans to add a traffic diversion structure for the rehabilitation of the 5 bridges in the Cross Bronx Expressway. This is the type of decision and leadership we need across New York State to comply with our Climate Law," said Caroline Chen, Director of Environmental Justice at the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. "We urge the DOT to formalize and make its processes transparent when considering and incorporating community feedback like those it obtained from Bronx communities here. We need to have trust that the agency is prioritizing Disadvantaged Communities' health and history as the law requires."

"Regional Plan Association applauds Governor Hochul and NYS DOT Commissioner Dominguez for listening to community feedback and removing the traffic diversion structure from the Cross Bronx Five Bridges project," said Kate Slevin, Executive Vice President of Regional Plan Association. "Congrats to the local advocates and elected leaders for their successful advocacy in favor of a less harmful alternative that protects the environment and the communities that bear the burden of the Cross Bronx Expressway daily."

"This victory shows what's possible when communities organize and refuse to accept false choices between mobility and health. The Bronx deserves clean air and thriving parks - not more traffic and pollution. We're grateful that Governor Hochul and NYSDOT listened to Bronx residents and advocates who have fought for decades to reclaim and restore the area around the Cross Bronx Expressway. Now, we have a chance to reimagine the Cross Bronx as a model of climate resilience and environmental justice - one that prioritizes people, parks, and public health," said Kathy Park Price, Director of Advocacy & Policy, New Yorkers for Parks.

"ORG believes that public infrastructure investments must advance community benefits - improving connectivity, enhancing quality of life, and fostering environmental and social resilience," Garine Boghossian, Architect and Urbanist at ORG.

"For decades, Bronx residents have worked to restore and get access to the Bronx River at Starlight Park, and today we have defeated a proposal that would have brought more stormwater pollution and construction debris to this sensitive ecosystem," said Em Ruby from Riverkeeper. "While we applaud Governor Hochul and State DOT for rejecting these harmful proposals, we must continue to fight for a plan that doesn't bring more air and water pollution to this community. "

BACKGROUND

NYSDOT is currently pushing the Cross Bronx "5 Bridges Project," a $900 million plan (including $150 million of federal funding for reconnecting communities harmed by highways) that threatens to exacerbate environmental inequities facing the South Bronx. Following widespread community opposition, Governor Hochul and NYSDOT scrapped the plan's most noxious proposals, but they are still considering widening the Cross Bronx Expressway. The Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition is urging DOT and Governor Hochul to conduct the needed standard bridge repair without expanding the highway's footprint, prepare a full environmental impact statement, and invest funds toward clean, community-led alternatives.

The Cross Bronx's Legacy of Harms

Born out of a history of racist urban planning led by Robert Moses, the Cross Bronx Expressway is already one of the nation's most toxic, congested roadways, long associated with racial health disparities like childhood asthma and heart disease in surrounding communities. Its initial construction decimated Black and Brown neighborhoods along the corridor while adding significant highway runoff pollution to the Bronx River and Harlem River, and contributing to some of the highest rates of asthma and heart disease in the country. According to a DOT study, idling cars on the Cross Bronx that have polluted the borough for decades drive chronic health issues among Bronx residents.

Why Expanding the Cross Bronx Isn't Viable

The Cross Bronx's enormous environmental footprint has only worsened over the years. In the U.S., fossil fuel-powered vehicles are a major source of air pollution and heat-trapping emissions, releasing more than 50% of the nitrogen oxide found in our air. Nearly 150,000 vehicles, including 18,000 trucks, use the Cross Bronx daily, a figure that will increase if State DOT proceeds with its planned expansion. Research shows that expanding a highway leads to more drivers using it and more congestion, meaning that reductions in traffic are erased within a short period.

In 2022, NYSDOT illegally dumped pieces of the roadway directly into the Bronx River after demolishing a Cross Bronx entrance ramp during a similar rehabilitation project. Even if the state files permits, local residents are still concerned that DOT's project may similarly impact the river, under the current "5 Bridges" project. Thanks to sustained remediation efforts, wildlife has slowly returned to the river following the incident, including threatened birds such as herons and dolphins. But during ongoing river clean-ups with local volunteers, residents continue to find construction waste tossed from the expressway into the recovering waterway. With thousands of public housing residents living across the street from the proposed project site, State DOT's remaining project options threaten to reverse this hard-won progress and drive worsened air quality, increased pollution, and more chronic illness in an already overburdened community.

Community Alternatives for the Cross Bronx

Community members have long advocated, since the 1970s, for investment in safe, dignified, and simple improvements for these neighborhoods. Residents successfully advocated for the expansion of Starlight Park, which has doubled in size after years of organizing to transform the space into a vital community resource. But existing east-west corridors along the Cross Bronx, including some of its most dangerous intersections on 174th Street, 177th Street, and East Tremont Avenue have been ignored and neglected for decades.

In 2014, City Council awarded NYCDOT the funds to create signalized crossings at five intersections around E 177th St. and E Tremont Ave. Over a decade later, the project still hasn't broken ground, depriving local residents of accessible pathways. The State's planned expansion ignores proposed connections along the highway, in a departure from the community's top priorities. As outlined in the community's visioning process for the Cross Bronx, Bronxites are seeking alternatives that reduce traffic, restore community access to green space, and reconnect riverside neighborhoods along the expressway.

About Bronx River Alliance: The Bronx River Alliance serves as a coordinated voice for the river and works in harmonious partnership to protect, improve and restore the Bronx River corridor so that it can be a healthy ecological, recreational, educational and economic resource for the communities through which the river flows.

About the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition: The Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion coalition is composed of Bronx grassroots groups, environmental justice organizations, and advocates for safe and healthy transportation. Together, we are fighting to implement a positive community-led vision that reverses the harms done to the public health, environment, and social and economic life of the Bronx by the Expressway. To realize this vision requires stopping new highway expansions along the Cross Bronx – beginning with New York State DOT's current plan to widen the CBE and construct nearly a mile of new elevated highway.

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