News 12 spoke exclusively with the New York City Department of Transportation commissioner on getting the public involved in the reimagining of the Cross Bronx Expressway.  

The expressway stretches for miles, connecting the Bronx with the rest of the five boroughs and the tri-state area. The six-lane freeway is often jam-packed with trucks and endless traffic – something that the reimagining will aim to fix.  

“We all know that the Cross Bronx Expressway has been a thorn in our side since Robert Moses put it up,” said Gale Nathan, executive director of the Bronx River Art Center. “Honestly, I just don’t know what they’re going to do.” 

The city is looking to come up with improvements for the expressway that runs through the majority of the South Bronx community, thanks to a $2 million federal grant.  

DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez is asking for the public’s help in conducting a study on the expressway to find ways to tackle environmental justice issues that have plagued the community.  

"Not only [has] the Cross Bronx has divided communities, but the Cross Bronx also has contributed a lot to the level of pollution to that area,” said Rodriguez. 

Public input meetings will run through April 10. The first in-person community engagement workshop will take place on April 1 at the Bronx River Art Center.