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As far as the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance is concerned, the Sheridan Expressway, which slices through the South Bronx, is simply a "road to nowhere."
The mile-and-a-quarter-long roadway connects the Bruckner Expressway and the Cross Bronx Expressway - two highways that intersect just a few miles to the east. For years, the alliance had pushed to tear down the Sheridan on the grounds that it does little more than divide the surrounding neighborhood. Some local leaders had also worked on options for what might be built in the expressway's footprint, drawing inspiration from the recent surge in housing and waterfront park development in the area, including Starlight Park.
"We're creating all the right elements in the neighborhood, but we're not connecting them," said Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, whose district includes the Sheridan corridor. "We need to make it feasible to enjoy these elements in a safe way."
Even federal planners got into the act. Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Transportation gave the city $1.5 million to study the possibility of tearing down the Sheridan...