Credit: Department of Design and Construction
New York City has broken ground on a $44 million project to bring major street safety upgrades to a stretch of Grand Concourse, one of the Bronx’s busiest corridors. Announced on Monday by the city, phase five includes an overhaul of the roadway from East Fordham Road to East 198th Street by adding new bike lanes, wider medians, bollards, better lighting, and improved pedestrian access. The project builds upon four earlier phases and is part of a broader effort to improve safety and ease traffic along the bustling corridor.
The city completed phase four in 2023 at a cost of $62.5 million. Phase three, which upgraded the stretch from East 171st to East 175th streets, wrapped up in August 2020.
The fifth phase will install service roads, raised bike lanes, new signage, pedestrian islands, and curb extensions. Traffic-calming measures such as slip lanes with stop signs, a dedicated bus lane, and raised crosswalks will further enhance street safety. Additionally, more than 100 trees and 1,300 shrubs will be planted to beautify the corridor.
More than 10 acres of new asphalt will be laid, and curbs and sidewalks throughout the corridor will be upgraded. Infrastructure improvements will also enhance sewers, water mains, and utilities, improving performance and reliability. This includes 30 new catch basins, which will redirect stormwater.
“Expanding lifesaving public safety infrastructure to all communities in New York City is central to all that we do, and our continued investment in the dramatic reconstruction of the Grand Concourse proves it,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
“We thank our colleagues at DDC for beginning construction to bring new amenities—as well as the new bicycle lanes, pedestrian islands, and raised crosswalks that we know will make these communities safer.
This spring, the project received the Envision Silver Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). ISI manages the Envision framework, which promotes sustainable and resilient infrastructure by providing education, training, and third-party project verification.
Envision assesses project sustainability across five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate and Resilience. To earn the award, a project must meet a wide range of sustainability and resilience requirements.
According to the framework, phase five of the Grand Concourse project addresses community needs and goals by improving the busy corridor while minimizing negative impacts through community engagement. The project incorporates sustainability and resilience measures in both its design and construction.
“This transformative effort to revitalize a key corridor reflects outstanding leadership and collaboration. The project will deliver lasting benefits—enhanced safety, advanced mobility, and improved livability—for Bronx residents and surrounding communities,” Anthony Kane, president and CEO of ISI, said.
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