Bronx River Alliance Calls on Gov Hochul to Invest in the BX, Not More Highway Harms

BRONX, NY (03/31/2026) (readMedia)-- As Governor Hochul and the State Department of Transportation continue weighing plans to expand the mega-polluting Cross Bronx Expressway by another 50 feet, the Bronx River Alliance and the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition are pushing state officials to ditch the highway expansion and redirect funds toward a cleaner, more resilient future for Bronx communities. With children and families suffering from the worst health outcomes statewide and relying on glacial transit in one of the most congested, polluted corridors in America, the Alliance is calling for expanded preventative health services, free youth enrichment and STEM programs, and safer transit alternatives, among other priorities.

Per NYSDOT's own environmental assessment, widening the Cross Bronx could increase truck traffic by up to 33% during peak times and bring significant health and environmental impacts to the 64,000-plus Bronxites living along the sited project area - including 3,000 public housing residents battling toxic air quality at Bronx River Houses directly across the street. Despite steady calls to explore safer project alternatives aligned with the Reimagine the Cross Bronx vision, state officials are neglecting solutions to mitigate traffic and pollution. After missing the original federal deadline, NYSDOT now has until April 7th to issue its final design plan for the Cross Bronx 5 Bridges project.

Before officials make a decision this spring, Bronx River Alliance and Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition are urging the Governor to commit to the following community investments for a better Bronx:

• Protect and transform E 177 Street into a green corridor ($75-$150M): Fund the redesign of E 177 St to prevent traffic from re-clogging the street, including green infrastructure, pedestrian and bike safety features.
• Workforce development for climate resilience ($3.5M): Fund Bronx-based training programs with Bronx and NYC organizations in green infrastructure maintenance, ecological restoration, and water management, creating stable careers while protecting public investments in forest and river restoration.
• Invest in non-highway modes of transportation ($20M) to benefit local residents, through surface transit, train accessibility, and Blue Highways freight infrastructure.
• Support planning for a street-level protected east-west bike path across the Bronx through collaboration with relevant city agencies and stakeholders.
• Free field trips for Bronx schools ($1.175M): Remove cost barriers by funding buses, equipment, and instruction for the next decade so Bronx students can regularly access unique wetlands, forests, and waterways restored by Bronx community members through programs led by the Bronx River Alliance and others.
• Empower Bronx kids through nature and water access ($1.4M): Launch an initiative to fund free kayaking, river education, and ecological field trips with the Bronx River Alliance for 10,000 Bronx youth over the next decade, prioritizing environmental justice communities.
• Improve health outcomes through preventative care and education ($1.6M): Expand the Bronx Asthma Initiative to support health programming and preventative care for respiratory illness.
• Clean air and water for the South Bronx ($4M): Accelerate state investment in air-quality mitigation, stormwater infrastructure, and river remediation along the lower Bronx River, where children deal with toxic waterways and the highest asthma and pollution burdens in New York State.
• STEM internships for Bronx youth ($1.6M): Support paid high school internships focused on building STEM skills through experiential learning in climate science and environmental education, building future conservation professionals rooted in the Bronx with the Bronx River Alliance and other organizations.

"With a Cross Bronx expansion still on the table, decades of progress are on the line. Our communities have fought long and hard to restore the Bronx River from an open sewer and transform the surrounding corridor. Even as kids and families here still choke on pollution, state officials are about to squander a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally remedy a legacy of highway harm. Truly reimagining the Cross Bronx requires reducing its environmental burdens, improving public health outcomes long derailed by the highway, and empowering current and future generations with the tools to create a more resilient Bronx for all. These investments move us in the right direction, building on the vision Bronxites have articulated for years now to improve infrastructure and expand community programming. We're calling on the Governor to halt the expansion and invest in a better Bronx, not a bigger Cross Bronx," said Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance.

BACKGROUND

The New York State Department of Transportation is currently proposing 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. Despite heeding community concerns and scrapping four of its most noxious plans - including a new mile-long polluting roadway - Governor Hochul and NYSDOT are not reducing traffic and are still proposing expanding the Cross Bronx by 50 feet.

The Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition is urging NYSDOT and Governor Hochul to conduct the needed standard bridge repair without expanding the highway, and work with community members toward more equitable, environmentally just traffic and air quality solutions for the corridor.

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. State DOT's environmental assessment notes that during peak times, heavy truck traffic could increase by as much as 33% if the agency proceeds with an expansion.

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 even dolphins. But during ongoing river clean-ups with local volunteers, residents continue to find construction waste tossed from the expressway into the recovering waterway. State DOT's remaining plan threatens 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

Since the 1970s, community members have long advocated for investment in safe, dignified, and simple improvements for South Bronx neighborhoods. After years of grassroots organizing to expand and transform the former industrial site into a vital community resource, Starlight Park has recently doubled in size; the state-proposed expansion now threatens this precious parkland. Meanwhile, 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 been completed, depriving local residents of accessible pathways. The state's planned expansion ignores the rest of E 177th St and other proposed connections along the highway, in a departure from residents' 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.

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