September 17, 2025 BRONX — NY In the South Bronx, the roar of traffic isn't just background noise—it's the relentless soundtrack of life. For generations, residents have lived in the shadow of the Cross Bronx and Bruckner Expressways, paying a heavy price in noise pollution, poor air quality, and community isolation. Now, a proposed $900 million infrastructure project threatens to deepen these old wounds, pitting the state against a community that's seen this story before.

For people like Edmundo Martinez, the hum of cars and the screech of tires are all too familiar. Growing up in Parkchester, he knew that peace and quiet lived far from his home. "The highways literally disconnected us from green space, from other communities and neighborhoods," Martinez says, recalling how crossing the Cross Bronx felt like entering a different world.

Decades after master builder Robert Moses carved these expressways through the borough, displacing tens of thousands and gutting neighborhoods, community organizations have worked to heal the scars. Groups like the Bronx River Alliance have reclaimed polluted green spaces, revitalizing havens like Starlight Park and the Bronx River. Their efforts were a testament to a community reclaiming its power.

But now, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is back with a new plan—and a familiar fight. The agency wants to repair five crumbling bridges along a one-mile stretch of the Cross Bronx Expressway. While the need for repairs is clear, the state's proposed solutions have sparked outrage, igniting a bitter conflict rooted in a history of environmental racism and deep mistrust.

Health Over Highways: The Battle for the Bronx

At the heart of the controversy is the NYSDOT's plan to build new structures to temporarily divert traffic during the bridge repairs. While the state calls these a "traffic diversion structure," community members see them as something else entirely: a highway expansion.

"Here we are once again demanding that we prioritize health over highways," said Dariella Rodriguez, Director of Community Development at the Point CDC. At a recent rally, she spoke of the painful reality for many Bronx families. "Families here are the ones who have to mourn children that they lose to asthma," she stated, highlighting the devastating health consequences of living with constant pollution.

NYSDOT maintains that the project is not an expansion. A spokesperson for the agency stated, "This project is not an expansion of the Cross Bronx Expressway." Yet, a closer look at the plans reveals that federal regulations will require the state to permanently widen the highway to add shoulders. While the state claims this will help with emergency vehicles and reduce congestion, residents like Edmundo Martinez are skeptical.

"I think anyone who drives a car knows that when you add a shoulder... people use that shoulder as a travel lane," he said, pointing out that this would only increase traffic and pollution.

A Double Standard and a "Consolation Prize"

The Bronx community's fight has already yielded some results. After public pressure, NYSDOT announced it would no longer consider two alternative options that would have converted the diversion structures into permanent local roadways. "The public has spoken, and we are listening," NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said in a statement.

But for advocates, this is a "consolation prize" at best. They insist that no new highway structures should be built in an already burdened area. As Daniel Ranells, Deputy Director of Programs for the Bronx River Alliance, put it, "This is not a celebration. This is not victory yet."

The community points to a glaring double standard. In wealthier neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, similar proposals to repair the Brooklyn Queens Expressway were swiftly squashed by community opposition and the threat of lawsuits. As Martinez said, "If the project's not good enough for Brooklyn, then it shouldn't be good enough for the Bronx."

Adding to the frustration is the fact that the state is ignoring a separate, community-led "Reimagining the Cross Bronx" study. That study, which involved years of collaboration with residents, created a vision for a more connected, healthier expressway. But the current bridge repair project, according to NYSDOT's own website, is "foundational" to any future improvements, essentially holding the community’s wishes hostage.

The Fight Continues

For residents like Norma Saunders, a two-year delay to avoid a diversion structure is a small price to pay. "Are we talking about just two years?" she asked at a recent rally. "Or are we talking about the community’s lives?" For her, and for many living with the impacts of the expressway, the answer is clear. "This is a death sentence," she said of the proposed plans.

As the project moves through its environmental review process, residents, advocates, and elected officials are not backing down. They've proposed alternative solutions and will continue to demand that the state listen to the people most affected.

David Gomez, a junior at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, voiced the frustration of a younger generation. "How come we never have a chance to speak about what we want?" he asked. "Why do they always get the first choice instead of the people who are actually being affected—get no voice?"

The final decisions on the Five Bridges Project have yet to be made. The question remains: will the state build a future on the foundation of trust and collaboration, or will it pave over a community's hopes for a healthier, greener Bronx?