Cross-Bronx Expressway
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The Cross-Bronx Expressway is a freeway in New York City. It passes through the Bronx, was completed in 1963, and is a major connection between the Alexander Hamilton Bridge and the Throgs Neck Bridge via the Bruckner Interchange. The expressway is designated Interstate 95 between the George Washington Bridge and the Bruckner Interchange, at which point it becomes Interstate 295 until it ends at the Throgs Neck Bridge. I-95 continues as the Bruckner Expressway and New England Thruway to Connecticut.
Robert Moses led the construction of the expressway. Many have blamed the Cross-Bronx Expressway for worsening the decay of already-embattled neighborhoods in the South Bronx, with the prominent example being the neighborhood of Tremont. In Robert Caro's The Power Broker, the author argues that Moses intentionally directed the expressway through this neighborhood, even though there was a more viable option only one block south. Many of the neighborhoods it runs through have been continually poor since before its construction, primarily due to the lowered property value caused by the Expressway. This is partially to blame for the public opposition to many other planned expressways in New York City that were later cancelled. The Cross-Bronx Expressway was an engineering marvel for its time, for it was the first highway to plow through a crowded urban environment. The Expressway was designed by the famed WWII General who also engineered the Burma Road, but in regards to the expressway was quoted as "The [Burma] Road was tough. But that was nothing compared to this son of a bitch". The most expensive mile of road ever built is part of the Cross-Bronx, costing $40,000,000. At one point during construction, Moses' team had supported the Grand Concourse while the Expressway was being rammed through. They had to elevate a major thoroughfare, a subway line and an El train in this process.
The expressway is one of the main routes for shipping and transportation through New York City due to its connections with New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge, Long Island via the Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges, Upstate New York via Interstate 87 northbound and the Bronx River Parkway, Manhattan via Interstate 87 southbound to the Triborough Bridge, and New England via the New England Thruway (Interstate 95) and the Hutchinson River Parkway.
However, the expressway is known for its extreme traffic problems and high crime volume; on a typical day 145,000 vehicles travel on the six lanes of highway the road contains, and it is not uncommon for truckers to use the Cross-Westchester Expressway to the Major Deegan Expressway to get around this stretch of I-95. Proposals have been made to add a second deck to the road, although to no avail. It is not unusual to hear news stories of carjackings and robberies along this notorious stretch of roadway. [citation needed]
