Bronxites to Gov. Hochul + NYSDOT: Invest in Blue Highways, Reduce Traffic on the Cross Bronx

BRONX, NY (11/18/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, at Fulton Fish Market, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Assemblymembers Emérita Torres, Council Member-elect Justin Sanchez, and local advocates urged Governor Hochul and the state Department of Transportation to join forces with city officials and business leaders working on Hunts Point's Blue Highways program, and support solutions that reduce traffic and improve air quality. Despite heeding community concerns and scrapping three versions of the repair which would've included a new mile-long polluting roadway, Governor Hochul and NYSDOT are not yet supporting solutions that reduce traffic on the Cross Bronx as they look to rebuild the highway.

Watch the recording here.

Currently, city officials and business leaders are revolutionizing the Hunts Point waterfront with a new marine freight facility that will remove 1,000 truck trips per month in the South Bronx by moving goods off highways and onto waterways. The state's 900-million dollar project does not align with this investment, continuing for decades to come the status quo of the worst traffic in the country, toxic air pollution, and chronic sickness for local residents already overburdened by the highway for the last 70+ years.

Research from Fulton Fish Market shows that South Bronx communities could enjoy significantly improved air quality by diverting trucks to water-based transport. Among other cost-effective transit and freight solutions, local advocates are raising the proposed Hunts Point facilities as models for how to bring cleaner air, safer streets, and improved health outcomes to the South Bronx - right as Governor Hochul and NYSDOT prepare to review the environmental impacts of the state's project.

"Hunts Point's new marine terminal shows exactly what the Bronx needs: smart freight solutions that get dirty trucks off our streets. After suffering decades of pollution and sickness from the Cross Bronx - and other major highways - moving goods onto blue highways will clean our air without breaking the bank. That's why we're putting this program on the state's radar," said Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of Bronx River Alliance. "With Governor Hochul and NYSDOT's partnership, Bronxites are excited to shape the Cross Bronx rehab we all want to see. Now, we're urging the state to team up with city and business leaders, and invest in blue highways."

"Clean air is a fundamental human right, and today's press conference is about reaffirming the belief that every resident deserves to breathe unpolluted air and ensuring that our city and state agencies prioritize environmental justice and accountability in neighborhoods that have experienced years of neglect and disinvestment," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. " I want to thank my colleagues in government and environmental advocates for their partnership in supporting smart, alternative solutions such as the Blue Highways initiative to address environmental injustices in our borough."

"A blue highway terminal in the south Bronx will expand maritime shipment routes, strengthen our local economy and support healthier communities. For too long, our neighborhoods have carried the burden of heavy truck traffic, resulting in our borough suffering from the highest asthma rates in the nation. New York City has over 520 miles of waterways, yet we use only a fraction of them while our streets grow more congested and our neighborhoods pay the price. International cities such as Amsterdam and Brussels have already established maritime shipping routes that are both environmentally friendly and economically beneficial. The South Bronx can and should be next," said Assemblymember Emérita Torres, Assembly District 85.

"We thank Governor Hochul for rejecting plans to build a new elevated roadway alongside the Cross Bronx Expressway. Now, it is critical that she takes steps to invest in transportation infrastructure that benefits the Bronx instead of polluting it," said Jaqi Cohen, Director of Climate and Equity Policy at Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "Hunts Point's Blue Highways program will remove a thousand trucks from our roads, meaning less pollution for the Bronx and less traffic on New York's streets. For families in the South Bronx suffering from high asthma rates and decades of toxic pollution, this is a life saving solution. By reinvesting dollars meant for highway expansion into Blue Highways, Governor Hochul can chart a new course for New York's transportation future."

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. Despite heeding community concerns and scrapping three of its most noxious plans - including a new mile-long polluting roadway - Governor Hochul and NYSDOT are not addressing traffic and are still considering expanding the Cross Bronx by one lane in each direction.

The Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition is urging NYSDOT and Governor Hochul to reject their last remaining option of building a shared use path along the highway, 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, 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. 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. 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 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.

###