Rep. Ritchie Torres is asking the Biden administration to help fund the transformation of the Cross Bronx.
He says the expressway is both dividing communities and contributing to the borough’s health issues--with high rates of asthma, diabetes and obesity.
Torres is hoping that the change can come from President Joe Biden's new infrastructure package, the American Jobs Plan.
He is asking for funding to transform 2.4 miles of the Cross Bronx that are underground and cap them.
"We can’t breathe here in the Bronx because of the Cross Bronx Expressway,” said Torres.
The project would have overpasses where one can look down and see the expressway be eliminated and potentially turned into accessible green space for the community.
He says the project would cost $757 million--fitting within the $20 billion budget of the American Jobs Plan.