Governor Hochul Announces Completion of Phase One of $1.7 Billion Hunts Point Access Improvement Project on Time and Under Budget

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of Phase One of the State's $1.7 billion Hunts Point Access Improvement Project on time and under budget. This major milestone marks the full completion of new and improved access to Edgewater Road for motorists, taking thousands of trucks off local streets every day and improving access to the Hunts Point Terminal Market. Phase One of the project provides new traffic signals for enhanced safety, community spaces for recreation, and safer access for pedestrians and bicyclists. The $460 million Phase One contract is part of an unprecedented State investment to enhance infrastructure and connectivity in the South Bronx while also improving the quality of life for residents.

"My Administration is laser focused on creating world-class, 21st century infrastructure for New York - delivering transformative projects on time and under budget," Governor Hochul said. "By taking thousands of trucks off local streets each day and giving drivers better access to the Hunts Point Terminal Market, we are improving the South Bronx experience for business owners and residents alike. This project will make our streets safer, connect people to their friends and family, and create greener spaces for the community."

With Phase One completed, motorists — including thousands of trucks going to and from the Hunts Point Terminal Market each day — have new and improved access to Edgewater Road in the form of three new ramps. This includes a two-way ramp to Edgewater Road from Sheridan Boulevard and a ramp from eastbound Bruckner Expressway to Edgewater Road. The project also included resurfacing of Edgewater Road, installation of new traffic signals at Seneca Avenue and Garrison Avenue and a new shared-use path from Bruckner Boulevard to Lafayette Avenue.

The Hunts Point Terminal Market and other produce companies near the facility are a vital economic engine for the Bronx, generating more than $2 billion in annual economic activity. The Hunts Point Food Distribution Center supplies up to 60 percent of the produce, meat and fish used by New York City residents and visitors and employs more than 6,000 workers. It attracts tens of thousands of vehicles per day, and prior to the completion of Phase One of the project, used local streets — particularly Westchester Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard — to go to and from the interstate highway.

Garrison Park has also been transformed with a new shared-use path, landscaping, viewing platforms overlooking the river, and a formal entrance area with a signalized rail crossing and traffic signal, giving residents safer and more seamless access to the Bronx River. Additionally, a new shared-use path was constructed under the Bruckner Expressway to link the new Garrison Park with the existing Concrete Plant Park, with five security cameras installed along the new path to enhance safety for pedestrians and bicyclists while connecting to the Bronx River Greenway.

Moreover, the project rehabilitated the Bronx River Avenue viaduct and created 15,000 square feet of community "Bronx River Open Space" under the viaduct. The project also replaced the eastern span of the Bryant Avenue pedestrian bridge over Amtrak/CSX rail lines.

Additionally, Phase One replaced four bridges that carry Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard over Amtrak/CSX rail lines and made improvements to the intersections of Bruckner Boulevard and Hunts Point Avenue and Edgewater Road and Lafayette Avenue.

A new Exit 48 ramp to Leggett Avenue opened in early September as part of the ongoing Phase Two contract, providing more direct access to Hunts Point Terminal Market and westbound Bruckner Boulevard and taking truck traffic off local streets. A second ramp, part of Phase Two of the project, connecting Hunts Point Peninsula to Bruckner Expressway will also be opening today.

Overseen by the New York State Department of Transportation, the $1.7 billion Hunts Point project will be completed in three phases and, when fully completed, will provide direct access to the Hunts Point Terminal 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 direct and indirect jobs.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Domingez said, "Governor Hochul's unprecedented investments in New York's infrastructure have been truly transformational, creating new opportunities for multiple modes of transportation, reconnecting communities and creating new avenues for economic development. The Hunts Point Access Improvement project exemplifies these principles by creating new access to the Bronx River and new parks and pathways to enjoy it, reconnecting neighborhoods to the water and green space and by taking tens of thousands of trucks a day off local streets and creating direct access to the Hunts Point Market. DOT is working hard every day to deliver this project for the hardworking residents of the South Bronx, and we look forward to completing all phases of the project in the coming years."

The $518 million Phase Two of the project, currently underway, will rehabilitate 1.25 miles of the Bruckner Expressway between 141st Street and Barretto Street, widening the roadway and constructing new entrance and exit ramps that connect westbound Bruckner Expressway to Leggett Avenue. 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 Street 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 Street bike path heading to Randall's Island, Manhattan, and Bronx River Greenway. Three New York City Park 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 Expressway and Sheridan Blvd. interchange by adding a third lane to the Bruckner in both directions. The project will replace the western span of the Bryant Avenue pedestrian bridge, completing the bridge replacement and improving ADA accessibility. New signing and pavement markings will direct auto, truck, and pedestrian traffic within the Hunts Point Peninsula.

Additionally, plans for a new parking lot are currently under development that will provide 24 fast charging stations to better accommodate electric vehicles under the Bruckner Expressway and help further enhance air quality in the South Bronx.

State Senator Luis R. Sepulveda said, "Investing in communities like the Bronx is one of the best solutions to inequality. Every infrastructure investment improves the quality of life for our residents and reaffirms the social commitment we have to our constituents. I join Governor Kathy Hochuland her team in applauding the opening of this improvement to the Hunts Point Terminal Market. This project adds safer spaces for our people, community spaces and safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians. I am confident that these improvements will be enjoyed immediately by our communities."

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi said, "The completion of this project is a significant milestone for the Hunts Point community— improving safety and accessibility for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. The Hunts Point Improvement Project will provide vital investments in the infrastructure, safety, and economic development of the South Bronx. I am incredibly grateful to Governor Hochul for her commitment to strengthening Hunts Point, and I look forward to witnessing the completion of this plan."

Assemblymember Kenny Burgos said, "The health and safety of my community will always be a top priority. Completing the first phase of this project is a great step that will only improve the lives of residents and those traveling throughout the Bronx. I thank Governor Hochul and all parties involved for their tireless work. I look forward to seeing the benefits it will have to the South Bronx community."

Assemblymember Amanda Septimo said, "Completion of Phase One of the Hunts Point Access Improvement Project is long-awaited good news for the South Bronx. This is an exciting update that proves when we come together and voice our concerns on safety, public health, and fair change, we get results. However, this is also a time that we, elected officials, can come together to see this project through its final phase with a time frame and process that is just for the local community, and the thousands of drivers that must pass through the Bruckner Expressway's traffic and pollution to get to work, school, or essential services. Less truckers on local streets, more green spaces along the waterfront, and new access ways to the Hunts Point Produce Market is a good start for the improvement of the quality of life in the South Bronx, and we are excited for the state to continue to invest in our infrastructure, safety, and health."

New York City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca said, "Today is a monumental day for Hunts Point and the Bronx as a whole,’ stated Council Member Rafael Salamanca,’ 17th Council District, The Bronx. ‘With the completion of Phase I of the multi-phase, $1.7 billion Hunts Point Interstate Access Improvement project, we are achieving the environmental equity our communities demand. By reducing the amount of commercial truck traffic navigating our residential streets through a reimagined road network, we are changing the narrative on a region that has come to be known as the ‘Asthma Alley.’ I thank the Hochul Administration for their commitment that New Yorkers from all backgrounds and zip codes deserve the highest quality of air and overall quality of life possible."

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