Grand Concourse from E. 175th Street to Fordham Road has been rebuilt with new curbs, crosswalks, pedestrian ramps, lighting and other safety enhancements.
The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), NYC Department of Environmental Protection and NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) joined community members and local elected officials to celebrate the reconstruction of Grand Concourse in the Bronx from E. 175th Street to Fordham Road, the fourth phase of a program to rebuild the entire boulevard with safety features, improved pedestrian access and additional enhancements such as bike lanes, bollards, wider medians and better street lighting. DDC managed the project for DOT and DEP.
"Under Mayor Eric Adams, equity is central to all that we do, and the investment in the dramatic reconstruction of the Grand Concourse proves it," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "With special thanks to our colleagues at DDC, we are proud to now have the beautiful, tree-lined boulevard that Bronxites deserve, with so many new amenities — as well as the new bicycle lanes, traffic signals and raised crosswalks that we know will make these communities safer."
"The continued reconstruction of the Grand Concourse shows that Mayor Eric Adams and his administration are committed to improving the quality of life for Bronxites," said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. "To combat the extreme weather brought about by climate change and the flooding it can sometimes cause, we upgraded the roadway's drainage network by doubling the number of catch basins that capture stormwater. Additionally, the newly added tree canopy will reduce urban heat island effect and provide shady respite for pedestrians and cyclists enjoying the enhanced, safer streetscape."
"DDC is proud to celebrate the completion of the $62.5M Grand Concourse Phase 4 street reconstruction and underground infrastructure upgrades project in collaboration with our colleagues at DOT and DEP," said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley. "This project makes this 'Great Street' safer for pedestrians and bikers, and includes many tools in the city's engineering tool belt — all delivered on-time and on-budget for this Bronx community."
Project Details
The safety and design changes that are being brought to the Grand Concourse under the Great Streets program have been proven to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, and under Vision Zero, the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the corridor has declined dramatically.
From 2012-2016, before operational changes came to the street, pedestrian KSI along the street was 12.8 per mile, qualifying it as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor. During the 2017-2021 period, when many of the safety improvements had either been initially added or completed as part of Great Streets reconstruction, that number had declined by 40 percent to 7.7 per mile.
The major modal change as part of Great Streets has been the addition of separated bicycle lanes along medians. New, wider landscaped and planted medians were added to decrease pedestrian crossing time while curb extensions, bollards and high-visibility crosswalks were installed to further enhance pedestrian safety. High-efficiency ornamental street lighting maintains the historic nature of the boulevard while new wayfinding signs help direct people to their destinations.
Work included the replacement of almost 388,000 sq. ft. of sidewalks along Grand Concourse along with more than 40,000 ft. (7.59 mi.) of new steel and concrete curbs. Another 406,000 sq. ft. of new asphalt was used to repave the streets. A total of 299 ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps also were installed.
Underground, more than 2,000 ft. of water mains and sewers were replaced while the number of catch basins in the area almost doubled from 53 to 105, helping to improve stormwater drainage. A total of 83 new trees were added and 13 older fire hydrants were replaced with new ones.
"The Grand Concourse is one of the crown jewels of our borough that serves as a major throughway for our residents and families," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. "With today's announcement, we are one step closer to making the Grand Concourse safer for residents and visitors to the borough with high visibility crosswalks, curb extensions and ornamental street lighting among some of the major changes to this historic corridor.
"I want to thank the Department of Transportation, Department of Design and Construction, and Department of Environmental Protection for their work on this project and their commitment to pedestrian safety in our borough. We look forward to the completion of Phase 5."
"I want to thank The NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Environmental Protection and NYC Department of Design and Construction for the reconstruction of Grand Concourse in the Bronx from E. 175th Street to Fordham Road," said Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia. "The investment of $62.5 million represent the rebuilding of the entire boulevard with safety features, improved pedestrian access and additional enhancements such as bike lanes, bollards, wider medians and better street lighting."
New bike lane on the reconstructed Grand Concourse.
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