Shore Road Bridge Project

The Shore Road Bridge, also known as the Pelham Bay Bridge, is an 865-foot-long bridge that spans the Hutchinson River within Pelham Bay Park in the northeast corner of the Bronx. Shore Road connects to the Bronx and Pelham Parkway southwest of the bridge and continues northeast through Pelham Bay Park into Westchester County. The main bridge span over the navigation channel is a drawbridge with three concrete arch spans at each approach.

Logo for the Shore Road Bridge Project

About the Project

The Shore Road Bridge was constructed in 1908. It was designed to standards in place nearly 120 years ago and cannot accommodate today's vehicle types and loads. Interim repair and rehabilitation have enabled the bridge to remain in service, but it has reached the end of its useful life.

The bridge also has non-standard geometric and design features, including narrow lanes, no shoulders, and insufficient pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

When the bridge is in use, there is only 13 feet of vertical clearance above the river. The bridge is one of the more frequently opened movable bridges in New York City due to large boat traffic and the bridge’s low clearance. Boat traffic is nearly all commercial, consisting of barges carrying home heating oil, scrap metal, and construction material.

Underneath the bridge, the navigation channel provides only 59 feet of horizontal clearance for large vessels to pass through. This is the smallest horizontal clearance of all Hutchinson River movable bridges.

To adequately address the project needs, NYC DOT anticipates replacing the existing bridge with a new structure.

Project Updates

This project is classified as a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Class I action and a City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Type 1 action. NEPA requires federal agencies to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for major actions that could have significant impacts on the environment. Under NEPA, “environment” includes the natural and physical environment (such as air, water, geography, geology) as well as people’s relationship with the environment (such as health, safety, jobs, schools, housing, and aesthetics). An EIS looks at both short-term and long-term effects and considers possible measures to reduce or mitigate those effects.

The project team is preparing an EIS for the Shore Road Bridge Project.

NEPA EIS Process

An EIS is prepared in a series of steps:

  • gathering government and public comments to define the issues that should be analyzed in the EIS (a process known as “scoping”)
  • preparing the Draft EIS
  • receiving and responding to public comments on the Draft EIS; and
  • preparing the Final EIS

Decisions are not made in an EIS; rather, the EIS analysis is one of several factors decisionmakers consider. The decision is announced in the Record of Decision (ROD) after the final EIS has been published.

NEPA EIS Project Milestones:

  • Notice of Intent (NOI) & NOI Report Publication: July 2021
  • Public Scoping Meeting and 30-Day Comment Period: August 2021
  • Scoping Report Publication: December 2021
  • Anticipated Release Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Public Review and Comment: January 2026
  • Anticipated Publication of Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS): August 2026

Project Team

Three agencies are involved in the project:

  • The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is the lead federal agency
  • The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as joint lead agency
  • The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), as project sponsor and joint lead agency

Community Outreach

Public engagement is an important part of this project, and there are many opportunities to get involved.

Get Involved

Email Signup

Join the email list to stay up to date on project information and future engagement opportunities.

Public Meetings

Two virtual Public Scoping Meetings for the project were held on August 3, 2021. The Scoping Meeting presentation was also broadcasted on BronxNet cable television from August 12 to August 16, 2021.

Contact Us

Have any questions or concerns about the Shore Road Bridge project?

Resources

Materials include meeting and project documents, and information about federal and local requirements.

Recording of the Shore Road Bridge Public Scoping Meeting on August 3, 2021 (YouTube) Shore Road Bridge Public Scoping Meeting Presentation (August 3, 2021) Shore Road Bridge Public Scoping Meeting Boards (August 3, 2021)

New York City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Draft Scope of Work Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement NEPA Notice of Intent Report Project Scoping Report

This project will follow the regulations set forth in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Congress enacted NEPA in December 1969, and President Nixon signed it into law on January 1, 1970. NEPA was the first major environmental law in the United States and established the country’s national environmental policies.

The goal of the NEPA process is to foster excellent action that protects, restores, and enhances the environment. This is achieved through the use of environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EISs), which provide public officials with relevant information and allow a "hard look" at the potential environmental consequences of each proposed project.

NEPA requires federal agencies to consider environmental effects that include, among others, impacts on social, cultural, and economic resources, as well as natural resources.

The environmental review process under NEPA provides an opportunity for the public to be involved in the federal agency decision making process. It helps the public understand what is being proposed and provides an opportunity to offer feedback on ways to accomplish the proposed action. It also allows the public to provide comments on the project’s analysis on the environmental effects of the proposed action and possible mitigation of potential harmful effects of the action.

For more information on NEPA, explore the links below.

This project will follow the regulations set forth in the New York City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) process. The CEQR Technical Manual provides guidance for city agencies, project sponsors, the public, and other entities in the procedures and substance of the City's CEQR process. CEQR requires city agencies to assess, disclose, and mitigate to the greatest extent practicable the significant environmental consequences of their decisions to fund, directly undertake, or approve a project. The environmental assessment analyzes the project that is facilitated by the action or actions. An action is a discretionary agency decision (approval, funding, or undertaking) needed in order to complete a project.

The Manual, as regularly updated and available on the web, provides a detailed and comprehensive discussion of the CEQR process, from simple environmental assessments to the more complex analyses appropriate for Environmental Impact Statements (EISs). Consequently, the Manual reflects changes in the environmental review process over time, development of new methodologies, changes in legislation, and other circumstances that affect the form or content of the City's environmental review process. In addition, city policies, environmental conditions, and the level of information available for assessing a project have changed since the last revision and the technical analyses have been updated and revised accordingly.

For more information on CEQR, explore the links below.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires federal agencies to consider the effects of their actions on historic properties that are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The USCG is responsible for approving bridge plans and locations in New York City and across the United States. They also monitor construction to ensure that navigation channels remain open.

Bridge History

In 1812, a group of property owners in Pelham and City Island worked to pass a legislative act authorizing a toll bridge across the Hutchinson River. The first bridge at the site, a stone bridge built in 1815, was destroyed in a storm in April 1816. Various other crossings followed, leading to an iron swing bridge built in 1870. The iron bridge was costly to maintain and quickly fell into disrepair. This iron bridge was replaced by the current bridge, which opened to traffic on October 15, 1908.