The final public hearings for the NY State Dept. of Transportation’s "Bronx Arterial Needs Major Investment Study" may be held this fall, in anticipation of the publication of a final report by year’s end, according to the agency. The study began in 1997 and seeks primarily to address problems in the Cross-Bronx and Major Deegan Expressway corridors.

Meetings have been held intermittently since then while DOT whittled an initial list of almost 260 different alternatives down to three alternative packages. A portion of these alternatives will then be advanced to an environmental impact statement.

Included in the alternatives are modifications to the Highbridge Interchange and the section of I-95 that connects the George Washington Bridge to the Bronx. At the Highbridge Interchange, which links I-95 to the Deegan, alternatives include both the restoration of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway Tunnels at West 178th and West 179th streets and a new bridge over the Harlem River, parallel to and south of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. The current interchange is a tangle of ramps that are difficult for trucks to negotiate. Some trucks thus use circuitous routes to reach various Bronx destinations.

Project packages will also include consideration of expanded/improved bus, subway and commuter rail services, ferry service, park-and-ride lots and pedestrian/bicycle facilities. However, the study is a DOT product, so recommendations pertaining to MTA and other agency operations will have little practical impact. Bus rapid transit routes along the Cross-Bronx service roads may be a feasible outcome, however, since they would only require bus re-routing on NYC Transit’s part. DOT has also said it is considering decking over portions of the Cross Bronx Expressway trench to create additional open space, greenways or development opportunities.

Specific meeting dates may be announced in the next two months. Project documents can be found on DOT’s website at www.dot.state.ny.us/reg/r11/bxmis/.

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