New Harlem River Drive Ramp Will Take Cars Off Streets

EAST HARLEM, NY — The MTA is moving forward with a plan to construct a new ramp that would connect the Robert F Kennedy Bridge to the northbound lanes of the Harlem River Drive, eliminating the need for drivers to take a detour through East Harlem streets, the transit authority announced this week.

Transit officials expect work on the ramp to be complete by 2021, the MTA announced. Once complete, the new ramp should eliminate 2,500 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions every year. MTA Construction and Development will take lead on the project because the RFK Bridge is owned by the agency.

"This project will have huge transportation and environmental benefits for the public, so it has to be delivered as soon as possible," MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber said in a statement.

The New York City Department of Transportation will partner with the MTA to ensure the project remains on track, officials said. The ramp will be held up by 11 vertical support columns that will rise in elevation to pass over the Willis Avenue Bridge and then decline to merge with the Harlem River Drive.

Benefits of the new ramp will affect both drivers and East Harlem residents, officials said. The neighborhood has one of the highest childhood asthma rates in the city. Leonardo Trasande, director of the Division of Environmental Pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, said that the reduction in pollutants from removing cars from neighborhood streets will hopefully cut down on asthma rates.

Safe streets advocates also hailed the plan. Aspiring pro wrestler Matt Travis, 25, was killed while biking near the current route that drivers must take to connect from the RFK Bridge to the Harlem River Drive. A truck driver was making an illegal turn when he hit Travis, police said.

"This new bypass will help to create a safer environment for pedestrians and people on bikes," Transportation Alternatives spokesman Joe Cutrufo said in a statement.

Drivers who regularly take the route from the RFK Brdige to the Harlem River Drive are expected to save nine hours of travel time per year, MTA officials said.

Funding for the $48 million project was allocated as part of the MTA Bridges & Tunnels 2015-2019 capital plan. A design-build contract for the work was awarded to Judlau Contracting.