Bronx River Alliance celebrates DOT decision to drop highway lane plans
The DOT confirmed it is scrapping proposals that would have created traffic diversion lanes along the Cross Bronx Expressway, cutting through the river’s ecosystem.
New York state’s Department of Transportation says it will no longer consider plans to run new highway lanes through the Bronx River - which is a relief for the Bronx River Alliance.
The DOT confirmed it is scrapping proposals that would have created traffic diversion lanes along the Cross Bronx Expressway, cutting through the river’s ecosystem.
The decision to no longer consider plans that would create temporary road ways comes at a cost — it will increase the project’s timeline by two years.
“I think today was very beneficial in having everybody at the table," said Nilka Martell, Bronx River Alliance board chair. " The community can work with the city and state officials to really come up with [more effective] plans.”
Martell says the original plans for the project would have undone nearly fifty years of restoration work along the river. “We have wildlife that has come back. Creating this temporary diversion track would have negative impacts on the ecological restoration of the river,” she said.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson assured residents that local concerns are being heard. “We hear you—we understand that you have endured a lot over these past decades and it’s not right,” said Gibson.
To celebrate, members of the Bronx River Alliance took to the water—kayaking to mark the milestone.
Still, the fight isn’t over. Andrew Villalobos, of the Bronx River Alliance, says pollution remains a major challenge. “It only has to rain a tenth of an inch for raw sewage to be released into the river,” he said.
The alliance says it's actively looking into ways to improve the quality of the river water, to make swimming possible in the distant future.
“Community matters, we can come together and get stuff done,” Villalobos added.
