Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a major milestone in the state’s initiative to transform the South Bronx by reconstructing the interchange of the Bruckner Expressway and new Sheridan Boulevard, and improving access to the Hunts Point Market.
Work has begun on phase two of the $1.7 billion Hunts Point project, which will rehabilitate key sections of the Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard to create a more direct route to the Hunts Point Market, reducing truck traffic and enhancing safety on local streets.
A new shared-use path will also be constructed on Bruckner Boulevard between 138th St. and Barretto St., providing increased recreational opportunities for pedestrians and cyclists. This project is part of an unprecedented state investment to enhance infrastructure in the South Bronx.
Overseen by the New York State Department of Transportation, the project will be completed in three phases and, when completed, will provide direct access to the Hunts Point Market from both the Bruckner Expressway and the new Sheridan Boulevard. The market is one of the largest wholesale food distribution centers in the world. More than 78,000 vehicles travel to the Hunts Point Peninsula daily — including 13,000 trucks using local roads — which has contributed to poor air quality in the community.
The highway redesign will enhance safety, take traffic off local roadways and significantly reduce both noise and truck idling, thereby mitigating air pollution in a borough with some of the highest asthma rates in the country. The transformational project is expected to create 22,000 new jobs.
Phase one, which began in December 2019, will build three new ramps — a two-way ramp from Edgewater Road to Sheridan and a ramp from eastbound Bruckner Expressway to Edgewater Rd. It will replace four bridges over Bronx River Avenue and Amtrak/CSX rail lines, as well as improve the intersection of Bruckner Boulevard and Hunts Point Ave. Garrison Park will be transformed to give residents access to the Bronx River and a shared-use path will be constructed to link the park with Concrete Plant Park, enhancing safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. The $598 million Phase One is proceeding on schedule for completion in the fall of 2022.
The $518 million phase two, which is now underway, will rehabilitate 1.25 miles of the Bruckner Expressway between 141st St. and Barretto St., widening the roadway and constructing new entrance and exit ramps that connect westbound Bruckner Expressway to Leggett Ave. The ramps will provide a direct route between the highway network and the Hunts Point Peninsula including the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, reducing truck traffic on local streets.
Additionally, a 1.75-mile section of Bruckner Boulevard between Cypress Ave and Barretto St. will be reconstructed, and 15 local intersections upgraded. Improvements include new or upgraded curbs, medians, sidewalks, crosswalks and traffic signal improvements. The new, 1.5-mile shared-use path will provide a connection to the 138th St. bike path heading to Randall’s Island, Manhattan and Bronx River Greenway. Three NYC Parks green street islands will also be improved, new trees will be planted and a new decorative steel fence will be provided along Bruckner Boulevard. Phase two is scheduled for completion in fall 2023.
The third and final phase, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2025, will eliminate the bottleneck at the Bruckner/Sheridan interchange by adding a third lane to the Bruckner in both directions. New signing and pavement markings will direct auto, truck and pedestrian traffic within the Hunts Point Peninsula.
