Congressman Serrano announces $10 million in Federal Transportation Funding for Project to Connect South Bronx to Bronx River Greenway

Statement

Today, José E. Serrano announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $10 million in TIGER Grants --one of the most competitive grant programs--to the City of New York to complete the construction of a final link in the Bronx River Greenway. The federal funding will go towards the construction of two bicycle/pedestrian bridges and nearly a mile of pathway in the South Bronx, between Concrete Plant and Starlight Parks. This TIGER funding will capitalize on previous investments in the Bronx River Greenway and will supplement $4.4 million in Sandy Recovery funding that has been allocated for the project.

According to the City of New York, the final Bronx River Greenway link will include eight miles of bicycle and a pedestrian trail connecting major employment centers, educational, and tourist destinations.

"As a longtime champion of efforts to green the South Bronx and restore the Bronx River, I am thrilled to see this project take another important step. These two pedestrian/bicycle bridges and a nearly a mile-long pedestrian trail will close an gap in the Bronx River Greenway and will help connect thousands of South Bronx residents to the Bronx River Greenway. With these new bridges and trails, local residents will have a more direct access to the beautiful green open spaces of the Bronx, as well as other recreational areas and facilities, educational resources, and employment centers --helping Bronxites enjoy a better quality of life. It will also help spur local economic development by helping attract visitors and tourists to the Bronx. I thank the U.S. Department of Transportation for heeding our call to fund this important project and for allocating such a generous amount of financial resources in TIGER grants. I also want to thank all the Bronx community groups that have been instrumental in making this project a reality," said Congressman Serrano, who sent a letter and called Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to ask him to allocate funding for the project, and who has previously directed more than $37 million in federal funding to create and expand the Bronx River Greenway as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

The DOT Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program funds surface transportation projects and is one of the most competitive in the nation. It focuses on projects that will have a significant economic development and improve access to transportation for disconnected communities in rural and urban areas.

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