Hochul announces $1.7 billion to create direct route to Hunts Point Market
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday that more help is on the way to families in the Bronx suffering from the toxic fumes from truck traffic.
"Truck traffic is the primary culprit for poor quality in this area. In fact, this has been called a pollution hot spot," the governor said.
The Bronx is home to some of the most important highways and facilities in the city. But for decades, officials say the volume of trucks and toxic fumes continue to harm the community.
"This long practice of redlining and discriminatory practice and land use practices has put Hunts Point and neighborhoods like this at a structural disadvantage," she said.
New York state is committing $1.7 billion to create a direct route to the Hunts Point Market. Officials say nearly 78,000 vehicles travel to the Hunts Point peninsula daily, including 13,000 trucks that travel on local roads.
Hochul said that will increase safety, reduce air pollution, and help lower asthma rates, which she said are the highest in the state.
"I will take note that it's not a coincidence that this is a community of color. We talk about environmental racism," Hochul said.
Nilka Martell, the founder and director of the group Loving The Bronx, said most people in the borough know someone or is someone with asthma or deals with environments that are prone to it.
"The average Bronxite doesn't realize the connection between the traffic and respiratory issues," Martell said.
Data shows children in the Bronx have the highest asthmas diagnosis rates in the city since 2019.
Hochul said work to widen key sections of Bruckner Boulevard and the Bruckner Expressway will be finished next month. She also announced a plan to invest $10 million in zero emission school uses to improve air quality in underserved congested areas in the city.
