NYC Roads

[roadman65]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXplcCMtI3X/?igsh=MXJwOTc2NzhudjNmdA==

Interesting article on the history of Park Avenue.

[lepidopteran]

Home movies of construction of the BQE from 1968-71

[roadman65]

I see they're having issues on I-95 inside the Trans Manhattan Tunnel. A man had his car totaled by falling debris from the ceiling.

Again a second motorist hot hit from more overhead debris a week later.

The PANYNJ is responsible as they maintain I-95 in Manhattan.
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/cross-bronx-expressway-falling-debris/6501426/

[The Ghostbuster]

Does the tunnel need a rehabilitation or perhaps need to be reconstructed?

[SignBridge]

Does the tunnel need a rehabilitation or perhaps need to be reconstructed?

Probably one or the other. That complex (not really a tunnel; more like a covered roadway) was rebuilt in its current form circa 1964 as part of the second deck of the G.W. Bridge and the completion of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge/Cross Bronx Expwy. linking it all together as one continuous route. And it coincided with New Jersey's opening of the first section of I-80 west from the reconfigured interchange on the west end of the Bridge.

That highway system was a very efficient and formidable accomplishment at the time it was built. Though not really surprising that it's starting to fall apart 60 years later. But whatever it needs is going to be hugely expensive and disruptive to traffic in an area that's already horrendously congested.

[Duke87]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

[vdeane]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

The NIMBYs keep equating adding shoulders to a "widening" that would be the same as adding travel lanes.  They keep claiming it would "increase traffic" (by having the exact same lane count?) and "increase emissions" (if anything, by not blocking travel lanes for every crash or disabled vehicle, it would decrease emissions through less delay!).  It's as if they don't know that emissions are maximized in gridlocked traffic.

(personal opinion)

[The Ghostbuster]

Is it just me or is the road situation in New York City permanently hopeless?

[roadman65]

What gets me is that no inspection of the ceiling was done to notice any of this.

Shouldn't they be monitoring all of these bridges and underpasses?

[RobbieL2415]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

They have valid concerns:

Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance, issued the following statement:

"Last fall, NYSDOT scrapped some of the worst proposals on the table, thanks to the tireless advocacy of our Bronx communities. However, DOT's remaining plans included a 50ft expansion that would've brought the Cross Bronx Expressway even closer to the 3,000 families at Bronx River Houses, and threatened more than 64,000 local residents with toxic pollution and sickness in the decades to come.

We made clear our desire for a fair compromise which would include commitments from the state to mitigate the inevitable impact of expanding the highway. We have always said that we understand that the bridges need to be repaired. The question is how to reduce the harm to the local environment and people who live here.

Our priorities have not changed. We are still willing to work with officials toward an equitable repair plan that protects the health and safety of all Bronxites. We encourage the State to suspend the project in order to conduct an EIS that studies community alternatives for the project that keep the expressway the same size and move it away from residential developments.

The news today, that the state is instead choosing to blame the Bronx for its own unwillingness to meet our basic need for a healthy future feels like a bad re-run of the history that got us here in the first place. It's hard to believe that this is the message Governor Hochul wants to send in 2026. We continue to look forward to implementing the Reimagine the Cross Bronx vision through the Planning and Environmental Linkages through deep engagement with the community. As the people who live, work, and raise families along this corridor, it's up to the Governor to show up with genuine respect for impacted communities as decision-making partners."

[The Ghostbuster]

Valid concerns or not, when the road infrastructure comes crashing down on their heads, they will have nothing to blame but their own stubbornness and NIMBYism.

[pderocco]

Valid concerns or not, when the road infrastructure comes crashing down on their heads, they will have nothing to blame but their own stubbornness and NIMBYism.

I have a feeling that it won't come down on the heads of the NIMBYs because they mostly take the bus.

[kphoger]

I have a feeling that it won't come down on the heads of the NIMBYs because they mostly take the bus.

Are there no bus routes that go through there?

[pderocco]

I have a feeling that it won't come down on the heads of the NIMBYs because they mostly take the bus.

Are there no bus routes that go through there?

They'll just be taking it to Mamdani's new grocery store a mile away.

[Plutonic Panda]

Is it just me or is the road situation in New York City permanently hopeless?

Until we vote better politicians in yeah

[The Ghostbuster]

Good luck finding better politicians in the NYC area. In fact, good luck finding better politicians anywhere on the entire planet!

[kphoger]

Why can't it be like the good old days.  Oh, wait...

Reflecting that I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live...

[TheDon102]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

The NIMBYs keep equating adding shoulders to a "widening" that would be the same as adding travel lanes.  They keep claiming it would "increase traffic" (by having the exact same lane count?) and "increase emissions" (if anything, by not blocking travel lanes for every crash or disabled vehicle, it would decrease emissions through less delay!).  It's as if they don't know that emissions are maximized in gridlocked traffic.

(personal opinion)

Any chance that the DOT comes back and replaces the roadway with no shoulders? What does it mean when a project is suspended?

This is a vital corridor, you can't just remove it. I hope NYSDOT recognizes that fact.

[Plutonic Panda]

"They have valid valid concerns"

I'm calling bullshit. This is just another way for the anti car people to not invest in car infrastructure and hope it collapses so it can be replaced with a boulevard.

[Rothman]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

The NIMBYs keep equating adding shoulders to a "widening" that would be the same as adding travel lanes.  They keep claiming it would "increase traffic" (by having the exact same lane count?) and "increase emissions" (if anything, by not blocking travel lanes for every crash or disabled vehicle, it would decrease emissions through less delay!).  It's as if they don't know that emissions are maximized in gridlocked traffic.

(personal opinion)

Any chance that the DOT comes back and replaces the roadway with no shoulders? What does it mean when a project is suspended?

This is a vital corridor, you can't just remove it. I hope NYSCDOT recognizes that fact.

FTFY. ;D

[TheDon102]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

The NIMBYs keep equating adding shoulders to a "widening" that would be the same as adding travel lanes.  They keep claiming it would "increase traffic" (by having the exact same lane count?) and "increase emissions" (if anything, by not blocking travel lanes for every crash or disabled vehicle, it would decrease emissions through less delay!).  It's as if they don't know that emissions are maximized in gridlocked traffic.

(personal opinion)

Any chance that the DOT comes back and replaces the roadway with no shoulders? What does it mean when a project is suspended?

This is a vital corridor, you can't just remove it. I hope NYSCDOT recognizes that fact.

FTFY. ;D

So did NYCDOT help kill this?

[TheDon102]

"They have valid valid concerns"

I'm calling bullshit. This is just another way for the anti car people to not invest in car infrastructure and hope it collapses so it can be replaced with a boulevard.

And the big problem with this approach (especially considering the recent news with the Trans-Manhattan Expressway), parts of the Cross Bronx collapsing can kill or severely injury people. This project needs to be done, it isn't optional. The Cross Bronx is a lynchpin in the North East highway network, there is no other way around that fact.


Extremely disappointed that NYSDOT folded when all they were proposing is shoulders. I seriously hope that they at least replace the viaduct within the current footprint.

[ixnay]

I have a feeling that it won't come down on the heads of the NIMBYs because they mostly take the bus.

Are there no bus routes that go through there?

Along portions of the CBE's service roads, according to the MTA's map of the Bronx's bus routes.

https://www.mta.info/map/5366

As for intercity buses, I am sure some on AARoads know more than I do.

[vdeane]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

They have valid concerns:

Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance, issued the following statement:

"Last fall, NYSDOT scrapped some of the worst proposals on the table, thanks to the tireless advocacy of our Bronx communities. However, DOT's remaining plans included a 50ft expansion that would've brought the Cross Bronx Expressway even closer to the 3,000 families at Bronx River Houses, and threatened more than 64,000 local residents with toxic pollution and sickness in the decades to come.

We made clear our desire for a fair compromise which would include commitments from the state to mitigate the inevitable impact of expanding the highway. We have always said that we understand that the bridges need to be repaired. The question is how to reduce the harm to the local environment and people who live here.

Our priorities have not changed. We are still willing to work with officials toward an equitable repair plan that protects the health and safety of all Bronxites. We encourage the State to suspend the project in order to conduct an EIS that studies community alternatives for the project that keep the expressway the same size and move it away from residential developments.

The news today, that the state is instead choosing to blame the Bronx for its own unwillingness to meet our basic need for a healthy future feels like a bad re-run of the history that got us here in the first place. It's hard to believe that this is the message Governor Hochul wants to send in 2026. We continue to look forward to implementing the Reimagine the Cross Bronx vision through the Planning and Environmental Linkages through deep engagement with the community. As the people who live, work, and raise families along this corridor, it's up to the Governor to show up with genuine respect for impacted communities as decision-making partners."

I think you might be misreading what they mean by "expansion".  The project wouldn't have added any new lanes - not even auxiliary lanes.  The "widening" in question was adding left and right shoulders to bridges that currently have none (and quite possibly bringing the lanes up to a standard 12', since it looks like those might be 11' lanes).  They're acting like the project would induce demand like adding travel lanes.  If anything, wouldn't the shoulders decrease emissions by providing a place for disabled vehicles to pull over without blocking a travel lane, thereby decreasing the delays (and emissions from stopped traffic) caused by the blocked lane?

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

The NIMBYs keep equating adding shoulders to a "widening" that would be the same as adding travel lanes.  They keep claiming it would "increase traffic" (by having the exact same lane count?) and "increase emissions" (if anything, by not blocking travel lanes for every crash or disabled vehicle, it would decrease emissions through less delay!).  It's as if they don't know that emissions are maximized in gridlocked traffic.

(personal opinion)

Any chance that the DOT comes back and replaces the roadway with no shoulders? What does it mean when a project is suspended?

This is a vital corridor, you can't just remove it. I hope NYSCDOT recognizes that fact.

FTFY. ;D

The Cross-Bronx is NYSDOT, so NYCDOT's responsibilities are similar to a maintenance residency in the other regions.  Although it will be interesting to see if this ends up like the BQE; after NYSDOT faced similar opposition to a project, they gave it to the city to figure out.

(personal opinion)

[TheDon102]

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

They have valid concerns:

Siddhartha Sánchez, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance, issued the following statement:

"Last fall, NYSDOT scrapped some of the worst proposals on the table, thanks to the tireless advocacy of our Bronx communities. However, DOT's remaining plans included a 50ft expansion that would've brought the Cross Bronx Expressway even closer to the 3,000 families at Bronx River Houses, and threatened more than 64,000 local residents with toxic pollution and sickness in the decades to come.

We made clear our desire for a fair compromise which would include commitments from the state to mitigate the inevitable impact of expanding the highway. We have always said that we understand that the bridges need to be repaired. The question is how to reduce the harm to the local environment and people who live here.

Our priorities have not changed. We are still willing to work with officials toward an equitable repair plan that protects the health and safety of all Bronxites. We encourage the State to suspend the project in order to conduct an EIS that studies community alternatives for the project that keep the expressway the same size and move it away from residential developments.

The news today, that the state is instead choosing to blame the Bronx for its own unwillingness to meet our basic need for a healthy future feels like a bad re-run of the history that got us here in the first place. It's hard to believe that this is the message Governor Hochul wants to send in 2026. We continue to look forward to implementing the Reimagine the Cross Bronx vision through the Planning and Environmental Linkages through deep engagement with the community. As the people who live, work, and raise families along this corridor, it's up to the Governor to show up with genuine respect for impacted communities as decision-making partners."

I think you might be misreading what they mean by "expansion".  The project wouldn't have added any new lanes - not even auxiliary lanes.  The "widening" in question was adding left and right shoulders to bridges that currently have none (and quite possibly bringing the lanes up to a standard 12', since it looks like those might be 11' lanes).  They're acting like the project would induce demand like adding travel lanes.  If anything, wouldn't the shoulders decrease emissions by providing a place for disabled vehicles to pull over without blocking a travel lane, thereby decreasing the delays (and emissions from stopped traffic) caused by the blocked lane?

So, the whole thing with the BQE where there is no way to do a necessary rebuild that placates all NIMBYs so we're just going to not do the necessary rebuild until the roadway structure physically fails now applies to the Cross Bronx too:

https://bronx.news12.com/cross-bronx-expressway-bridge-project-suspended

The NIMBYs keep equating adding shoulders to a "widening" that would be the same as adding travel lanes.  They keep claiming it would "increase traffic" (by having the exact same lane count?) and "increase emissions" (if anything, by not blocking travel lanes for every crash or disabled vehicle, it would decrease emissions through less delay!).  It's as if they don't know that emissions are maximized in gridlocked traffic.

(personal opinion)

Any chance that the DOT comes back and replaces the roadway with no shoulders? What does it mean when a project is suspended?

This is a vital corridor, you can't just remove it. I hope NYSCDOT recognizes that fact.

FTFY. ;D

The Cross-Bronx is NYSDOT, so NYCDOT's responsibilities are similar to a maintenance residency in the other regions.  Although it will be interesting to see if this ends up like the BQE; after NYSDOT faced similar opposition to a project, they gave it to the city to figure out.

(personal opinion)

Gotcha. What do you think happens from this point? Any hope in getting this project back on track?