Bronxites Rally for #HealthOverHighways As State DOT Pushes to Expand Cross Bronx Expressway

BRONX, NY (09/10/2025) (readMedia)-- This morning, Bronx residents rallied for the State to prioritize health over highways, alongside local elected officials and health professionals. Governor Kathy Hochul and NYSDOT are currently considering a $900 million plan to add a new, mile-long highway to the Cross Bronx, despite its dangerous health implications for residents in the borough with the worst health outcomes statewide.

Watch the livestream here.

Long considered one of the most congested corridors citywide, the Cross Bronx is a major source of air pollution linked to high asthma rates and heart disease. Up to 150,000 polluting vehicles already use the roadway daily - including 18,000 heavy trucks.

The proposed expansion would pave over parts of Starlight Park and the Bronx River, building a new, mile-long structure 40 feet in the air and 90 feet wide. It would bring even more traffic and congestion, worsening pollution for nearly 64,000 neighborhood residents, including the 3,000 seniors and families on the frontlines at Bronx River Houses who already live with toxic air quality.

"The Cross Bronx Expressway is already one of the dirtiest, most congested expressways in the nation, cutting through communities of color and bringing dangerous levels of air pollution. Governor Hochul and DOT have a choice: add a new structure to the Cross Bronx Expressway that could increase rates of asthma and heart disease in the South Bronx, or actually work to reconnect our communities and make our neighborhoods safer," said Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance.

"The Bronx has spent decades working to address the negative socio-economic and health impacts linked to the Cross Bronx Expressway. Our families continue to face high rates of asthma and heart disease - challenges that underscore the need for thoughtful, health-focused infrastructure planning. We have an opportunity - and a responsibility - to make the $900 million 5 bridges project investment that will improve our livelihoods, not just the infrastructure of a highway. This moment calls for planning that centers community input, environmental justice, and long-term well-being. Our State must work in true partnership with Bronx residents to explore solutions that heal past harms and support a healthier, more equitable future," said Assemblymember Emérita Torres.

"For generations, the Cross Bronx has carved trauma into the lungs and hearts of our families. Too many children grow up gasping for air, and too many elders carry the burden of chronic illness from pollution they never chose. Expanding this highway would only repeat those harms. Instead, we must choose a path of healing - repairing existing infrastructure, creating green corridors, and investing in health resources for the residents who have borne this weight for decades. I call on Governor Hochul and the State DOT to reject this expansion and instead stand with us in building a healthier, more connected Bronx," said Assemblymember Amanda Septimo.

"As someone who grew up in the Bronx and now has the privilege of representing it, I know firsthand the impact that decades of environmental injustice has had on our health and neighborhoods. The Cross Bronx Expressway has long divided our communities, filled our lungs with pollution, and limited our access to green space and opportunity. I stand with the Bronx River Alliance and their mission to halt the expansion of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Our communities deserve clean air and comprehensive solutions-not another generation suffering as a result of harmful infrastructure," said Majority Leader Council Member Amanda Farías.

"For decades, the Cross Bronx Expressway has been a symbol of environmental injustice and racism, dividing our communities and poisoning the air our residents breathe," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. "I join our residents, health professionals, advocates, and colleagues in government in demanding sustainable, community-driven solutions."

"The Bronx has historically faced health disparities, including higher rates of asthma and heart disease, that stem from decades of environmental injustice. It is vital that we address the underlying causes of these health disparities and prevent further construction that will harm our residents," said State Senator José M. Serrano.

"The Cross Bronx Expressway has long been one of the greatest public health hazards in our borough, choking our neighborhoods with pollution and cutting off communities from each other. The people of the Bronx deserve health over highways, and any project that expands the Cross Bronx will only deepen the crisis we already face. I stand with the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition, Assembly Member Emérita Torres, and all Bronx residents in demanding solutions that repair the damage, improve air quality, and put the well-being of our families first," said Rep. Ritchie Torres.

"Currently, the air pollution from the Cross Bronx Expressway is so toxic that those of us who live in Bronx River Houses cannot open our windows. Ever. Thanks to its poor design, there are over 3,000 seniors, children, and families in our building already struggling without access to clean air - many even battling asthma and other health issues. The idea that the State wants to widen the Cross Bronx and bring it even closer to our homes is like a death threat. We are calling on the State to put our families first and stop the Cross Bronx expansion - our lives and wellbeing depend on it," said Norma Saunders, president of the Tenant Association for Bronx River Houses.

"In the South Bronx, asthma and heart disease affect our neighbors at some of the highest rates in New York City. For example, more than 30 percent of childhood asthma cases here are linked directly to traffic-related air pollution, and in neighborhoods like Mott Haven, nearly one in five young children lives with asthma. It is essential that any project in our community supports health and quality of life, and that we seize this opportunity to create solutions that improve connections while building a healthier future for everyone," said Paloma Izquierdo-Hernández, President and CEO of Urban Health Plan.

"Community members are rightfully concerned about the continued denial of the expansion of the Cross Bronx. Our borough has not even recovered from the negative impacts of the highway and we say no to building more lanes. It is not an accident or coincidence that we lead in asthma rates and other health impacts due to the inescapable proximity of the highway to our homes, our parks, schools and workplaces. NY prides itself on taking climate and environmental issues seriously, yet building this structure is unnecessary and harmful as well as taking us backwards in environmental justice work done by the community," said Dariella Rodriguez, Director of Community Development of THE POINT CDC.

"We will not stop until we are certain that the NYS DOT's planning process prioritizes the health and well-being of Bronx residents. While we are hopeful, we remain vigilant as the NYS DOT narrows down the potential design options for this project. The final selected option must follow the community's will: the Cross Bronx should not be expanded," said Adrian Cacho, Senior Organizer, Open Plans.

"We are proud to support our Bronx partner communities and organizations in the important work here of holding DOT accountable to the State's Climate Law," said Caroline Chen, Director of Environmental Justice at the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. "The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act forbids all agencies from disproportionately burdening disadvantaged communities and requires agencies to prioritize the reduction of air pollution in these communities. Readily expanding highways without concern for local residents' health - and to the exclusive benefit of trucks and commuters cutting through these neighborhoods - cannot meet these clear, legal requirements. We will continue to support the fight for meaningful community input until DOT provides solutions that prioritize the air quality and needs of Bronx communities."

"The best way to mitigate the air and noise pollution from highways is to not build and expand our city's highways," said Anna Berlanga, Bronx and Uptown Organizer for Transportation Alternatives. "It's ridiculous and insulting that New York State is working to clean air in the Bronx while also fighting to widen the Cross Bronx Expressway. Instead of spending billions to build highways, cause irreparable harm, and then mitigate that harm, New York State could work on preventing pollution at the source. We don't have to accept asthma, excessive noise, and constant traffic in our communities, and we won't."

Over the summer, more than a dozen Bronx-based and citywide organizations sent a letter calling on the State DOT to repair the bridges without building a new structure, following widespread community backlash regarding their potential to "amp up pollution in a neighborhood where children face higher rates of asthma-related hospital visits than any other borough." Assemblymember Torres and 12 other elected officials sent a letter to NYSDOT asking for more transparency and community-centered planning.

BACKGROUND

The New York State Department of Transportation 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. The Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition is urging DOT and Governor Hochul to reject both proposed options, conduct the needed standard bridge repair without expanding the highway, prepare a full environmental impact statement, and redirect funds meant to reconnect communities 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 highway expansion, State DOT's plans 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 signaled crossings at 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.

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