The Cross Bronx Expressway sees, on average, 150,000 vehicles a day — one of the busiest highways in the country.

It is also close to residential buildings, like the Bronx River Houses public housing complex. Residents say they don’t want the road any closer to their homes.

What You Need To Know

The Cross Bronx Expressway sees, on average, 150,000 vehicles a day. It’s one of the busiest highways in the country and five bridges along the highway — some built before 1960 — are in need of repair

Part of the repair will add shoulders to the road, and widen it in some places, which increases road safety and reduces response time to accidents

NYSDOT says, in some places, the space between the highway and residences will decrease, and that noise and air quality analyses show improvement with the project

Residents of the Bronx River Houses worry the shoulder will one day turn into a travel lane, or cars will use it anyway, contributing to more air pollution

Some residents want envornmental mitigation measures, like more green space and better pedestrian, cycling and public transporation along the corridor

Norma Saunders, president of the Bronx River Houses Tenant Association, says the expressway is 120 feet away from several of their buildings.

“We’re already breathing in the emissions. We already breathing in a lot of toxic air. We have a concrete plant right next to the Cross Bronx. So, we are getting double-hit,” she said.

Saunders says the State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is considering widening the highway as part of its plan to repair five bridges, some built before 1960. One of them just feet from the Bronx River Houses.

“We know the Cross Bronx needs to be fixed,” Saunders said. “We’re not arguing that, but we have to find a better solution.”

While the widening is just supposed to create a shoulder, not an extra travel lane, residents of the Bronx River Houses are still concerned and feel the state is not listening.

NYSDOT spokesperson Joe Morrisey said in a statement, in part, “Modern highway designs call for shoulders that help prevent crashes….. This project has been about safety — not about expanding the expressway — and that the state has continuously engaged the public through meetings, walkthroughs, and community events all while working to address concerns every step of the way.”

The DOT notes that, in some places, the space between the highway and the Bronx River Houses will decrease, while noise and air quality analyses show improvement with the project.

That’s no consolation, however, for Siddhartha Sanchez, executive director of the Bronx River Alliance.

“We want to see mitigations, not widening of the footprint,” he said.

Mitigations could include more trees and better east-west pedestrian connections for residents.

Even though the state DOT is just adding a shoulder, there are still concerns.

“What we understand is shoulders could become lanes, you know, if they’re permitted down the road,” Sanchez said. “Shoulders are often used to bypass traffic, to try to cut ahead, to drive, essentially, you know, whether that’s done in a way that is encouraged or legal or not is irrelevant when drivers get frustrated and take the shoulder.”

The state already took four proposals off the table in response to community feedback and is set to release its final proposal sometime in March.