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What happens when you ram a six-lane expressway through some of the highest-density neighborhoods in America? You get the Cross Bronx Expressway, one of the most challenging civil engineering projects of the 1950's and early 1960's.
It may have been an engineering marvel during the mid 20th century, but it became inadequate soon after it opened. Six lanes of long-distance through traffic and local traffic do not mix well amid the lack of shoulders and numerous entrance-exit ramps. The pavement also leaves much to be desired, though an ongoing project by the NYSDOT is remedying this problem. Finally, with the half-completion of the new sign installation project (which has been the case for nearly two years), the exit numbering scheme along the Cross Bronx Expressway is confusing.
If you're looking for a pleasure drive, don't do it on the Cross Bronx unless urban decay is your fancy. Certainly, there are fewer stripped cars and old mattresses along the side of the expressway than there were 10 or 20 years ago, but litter still abounds. Decades of air pollution along the depressed sections of expressway have prompted local officials to call for construction of landscaped "covers" over the expressway.
Bottom line: because of the controversy caused by the Cross Bronx Expressway, Moses could not build the Lower Manhattan, Mid-Manhattan, Bushwick and Cross Brooklyn expressways. It is easy to see why.
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