Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

sheridan.jpgThe Post reported last week that the Cross-Bronx Expressway -- perhaps the most infamous urban freeway on the planet -- has earned the title "America's worst highway." According to traffic analysis firm INRIX, several of the nation's top bottlenecks are located on the Cross-Bronx:

Westbound exits at the Sheridan Expressway rank third worst, White Plains Road, fourth, and Westchester Avenue, 11th among all the awful choke points in America.

Decommissioning the Sheridan happens to be one of two options being considered by New York State DOT to improve truck access to Hunts Point and its huge wholesale food markets (currently, trucks exit the Sheridan and make the last leg of their trips on local streets). Without the Sheridan, trucks would get to the markets via a new exit off the Bruckner Expressway. The other option also entails constructing the Bruckner exit, but would preserve the Sheridan as a truck route.

NYSDOT is in the traffic analysis phase of evaluating each alternative. If traffic flow is the name of the game, then chalk up another reason to tear down the Sheridan: It would ease congestion on the country's most clogged-up highway. Of course, there's also the 28 acres of land for riverfront public space, housing, and commercial development that a teardown would free up.

The Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance is the leading advocate for the teardown option, called the "New Community on the Sheridan Plan." Getting NYSDOT to consider highway removal in its EIS has taken some serious advocacy, said SBRWA's Melanie Bin Jung, and there's more to come. NYSDOT is expected to release its final EIS for the project next year, and select the final option by 2012.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

‘A Direct Attack’: Top Dem on House Transport Committee Slams Trump’s Green Infrastructure Clawback

The Trump administration's attempts to claw back already-awarded grants for active transportation are on questionable legal footing, the top transportation Democrat says – and he won't stop fighting to save pedestrian and cyclist lives.

March 18, 2025

No Earmarks in Tuesday’s Headlines

The continuing resolution Congress passed last week cedes more power on transportation and other spending to the Trump administration.

March 18, 2025

Vandals Attack Great Highway Park

Echoing the national trend, a contingent of anti-Prop. K folks have decided to reject democratic process.

March 17, 2025

Op-Ed: Anti-Speeding Technology Could Have Saved My Son

A new Washington state bill could help end speeding. And similar bills are spreading across the country.

March 17, 2025

What Will ‘Safe Streets and Road For All’ Mean Under Sec. Duffy?

Last week, Secretary Duffy directed staff to start the process of clawing back millions in discretionary dollars for bike lanes. How will he spend it instead?

March 17, 2025
See all posts