Bronx Residents Oppose Expansion of Hated Cross Bronx Expressway

Community groups call for limited repairs and improvements to local streets instead of widening the highway

Feb. 25, 2026 at 6:40pm

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As New York state prepares a $900 million plan to repair and expand a one-mile elevated section of the Cross Bronx Expressway, a group of Bronx community advocates are pushing for alternative proposals that would fix the road without widening its footprint. The current plans would push the highway and its pollution even closer to a nearby public housing complex, raising health concerns for residents already suffering from high asthma rates. Instead, the advocates are calling for the city to focus on improving bus and bike infrastructure on local streets to better serve the community.

Why it matters

The Cross Bronx Expressway has long been blamed for holding back economic development in the Bronx and contributing to some of the highest asthma rates in New York City due to the highway's pollution. The proposed expansion plans would further exacerbate these issues for the surrounding low-income communities, prompting strong opposition from local residents and advocacy groups.

The details

The state's Department of Transportation is considering three repair plans, each of which would widen the six-lane highway by 25 to 50 feet. Two of the proposals also call for building a 30-foot-wide pathway attached to the elevated highway, which community groups argue would be inconvenient and underutilized. Instead, advocates are pushing for the city to revive plans for a dedicated bus lane on the heavily trafficked Tremont Avenue and improve lighting and bike infrastructure on East 174th and East 177th Streets to better connect residents to public transit and green spaces.

  • The state is expected to choose one of the three repair plans next month.
  • Construction could start this year and be completed by 2032.

The players

Kathy Hochul

The governor of New York who is preparing to announce a plan for the $900 million overhaul of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

Zohran Mamdani

The mayor of New York City, who the community groups are asking to build bus lanes and bike paths around the expressway instead of a walkway attached to the highway.

Siddhartha Sánchez

The executive director of the Bronx River Alliance, a conservation group that does not support any of the three highway repair options.

Akia Squitieri

The executive director of the Bronx River Art Center, which borders the proposed highway construction.

Norma Saunders

The tenant association president of the Bronx River Houses, a large public housing complex that abuts the expressway.

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What they’re saying

“The Cross Bronx Expressway has polluted our neighborhoods, displaced families and left our communities with some of the highest asthma rates in the nation. Now, instead of repairing that harm, the state plans to widen it.”

— Akia Squitieri, Executive Director, Bronx River Art Center (nytimes.com)

“You're killing my residents. We breathe this every day.”

— Norma Saunders, Tenant Association President, Bronx River Houses (nytimes.com)

What’s next

The New York City Department of Transportation is expected to share more details soon on potential bus and bike lane projects to improve transit and accessibility around the Cross Bronx Expressway.

The takeaway

The debate over the future of the Cross Bronx Expressway highlights the longstanding tensions between the need for infrastructure improvements and the imperative to address the disproportionate harm caused to low-income communities of color. As the state moves forward with repair plans, local advocates are pushing for solutions that prioritize public health and equitable transportation over further highway expansion.