NEW YORK, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul announces a major milestone in the state's $1.7 billion Hunts Point Access Improvement Project. Phase Two of the project, which rehabilitated key sections of the Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard to create a more direct route to the Hunts Point Market, will be completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

The Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard improvements will enhance safety, improve resiliency, and advance New York’s climate goals by easing congestion and reducing truck traffic on local streets. The second phase also added a new shared-use path along Bruckner Boulevard between 138th Street and Barretto Street, to increase recreational opportunities for cyclists and pedestrians. This announcement is part of an unprecedented state investment to enhance infrastructure in the South Bronx and supports the State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) goals.

Overseen by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the Hunts Point project will provide direct access to the Hunts Point Terminal Market from both the Bruckner Expressway and the new Sheridan Boulevard. 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. 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.

Phase Two of the project began in the spring of 2021 and was originally scheduled to be complete in the fall of this year. This phase, which has cost less than the original $518 million contract award, rehabilitated 1.25 miles of the Bruckner Expressway between 141st Street and Barretto Street, widening the roadway and providing new entrance and exit ramps that connect westbound Bruckner Expressway to Leggett Avenue. The ramps 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 Avenue and Barretto Street was reconstructed, and 15 local intersections upgraded. Improvements include new or upgraded curbs, medians, sidewalks, crosswalks, and traffic signals. A new, 1.5-mile shared-use path provides a connection to the 138th Street bike path heading to Randall's Island, Manhattan, and Bronx River Greenway. Three New York City Park islands were also be improved, with trees planted and a new decorative steel fence added along Bruckner Boulevard.

"The Hunts Point Access Improvement Project exemplifies Governor Hochul’s determination to invest in infrastructure projects that not only reconnect communities but also help grow our economy and protect our environment," NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said. "By providing a more direct route to Hunts Point Terminal Market, we are taking trucks off local roads, easing congestion, and reducing emission, which will be welcome news to all New Yorkers but especially residents of the South Bronx who have had to contend with poor air quality for far too long.”

The third and final phase of the project, which is ongoing, will remove a notorious bottleneck by reconstructing the Bruckner Expressway/Sheridan Boulevard interchange and relocating the entrance ramp to northbound Sheridan Boulevard from the left side of the highway to the right side. The addition of a third lane in each direction of the Bruckner Expressway and the replacement of the Bryant Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, both of which were started in earlier phases of the project, will also be completed. Additionally, the intersection of Hunts Point Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard will be reconstructed to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. New signing and pavement markings will also be installed to better direct auto, truck, and pedestrian traffic within the Hunts Point Peninsula.

Additionally, a new 117-spot parking lot with 24 electric vehicle charging stations, including four rapid charge spots to better accommodate electric vehicles, will be constructed under the Bruckner Expressway and help enhance air quality in the South Bronx. The project is on schedule to be completed in the fall of 2025.