What was once an imposing 1.3-mile interstate-grade highway barrier isolating Bronx neighborhoods  now is a pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly urban arterial boulevard that provides residents with a connection to parks and the Bronx River waterfront while also preserving access for commercial trucks.

The transformation required understanding and seamlessly blending changing land use patterns in adjacent neighborhoods, vehicular and truck traffic expressway use and proposed developments nearby. Multiple traffic modeling and design iterations were required to integrate three new signalized intersections along the route to ensure safety while also synchronizing with traffic movements on nearby highway interchanges.

Completed below budget and on schedule in a closely coordinated seven-stage process, the $85-million project includes actuated signal timing, ramp geometry improvements, dedicated lanes for cyclists, 16-ft-wide pedestrian refuge islands, planted medians and buffers, a landscaped area overlooking the Bronx River at the entrance to Starlight Park and a tied-arch pedestrian bridge over the Bronx River. The project’s extensive landscaping provides additional benefits by decreasing impervious surfaces and reducing stormwater runoff.

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