Abstract:
The Bronx is one of five boroughs in New York City. There are limited opportunities to cross between the eastern and western sections of the Bronx due, to a large extent, to the topography and geography. The Cross Bronx Expressway (CBE) and a limited number of through streets provide for east-west mobility. The Bronx Arterial Needs Major Investment Study (BAN MIS), being performed for the New York State Department of Transportation, is exploring multimodal improvements for the corridor. A major improvement alternative is the construction of a continuous eastbound and westbound connector road system in the CBE corridor. The connector roads would be intended to provide an alternative to the CBE for local traffic and would involve both the utilization of existing streets and the construction of new streets. The connector road system would help to reconnect those neighborhoods in the Bronx north and south of the BCE and benefit a wide range of transportation modes. It would improve traffic circulation for local traffic, provide neighborhood connectivity, and create new parkland in the corridor in sections decked over the CBE. New transit service, in the form of bus rapid transit, and improved connectivity for bicycle and pedestrian movements also would be possible. The opportunities thus created for the neighborhoods, transit users, motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists would significantly benefit the quality of life for Bronx residents. This paper shows how the connector road system could be configured given the geographic characteristics of the borough and the current arrangement of local streets, arterial highways, and transit services.
