By Joseph Morales

(Link to information on bus routes discussed in article located at the bottom after Works Cited section)

The MTA’s Bronx Bus Network Redesign is a plan to redesign the Bronx’s bus system to meet the needs of its riders and become a faster and more reliable system. Even though The Bronx has developed and evolved in many ways, the bus network has not been reevaluated in many years. With many bus routes still running the routes of old trolley lines, a redesign of the bus system is crucial to push bus operations in The Bronx into the 21st century. One of the biggest changes to the system in the redesign, are the restructuring of the Bx11, Bx35 and Bx36, routes which travel east-west across The Bronx from points in West Farms and Soundview across different corridors to W 181st St in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. In addition, the Bx40 and Bx42 routes that run between the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx and the Highbridge area of the borough are also being restructured. The purpose of this route restructuring is to reduce the number of turns and avoid slow speed corridors and improve bus stop spacing. This might make bus trips across the corridors faster and more direct and make it easier for Bronxites to get across the borough to high density areas without subway service, as well as to transfer to other subway and bus routes which is a common purpose of crosstown bus routes.

 

As for the Bx11, it will no longer terminate in West Farms. Instead, it will travel to Parkchester via Boston Rd/ E 174th St. This will provide Parkchester/West Farms residents with a more direct trip to Highbridge/Washington Heights areas as well as a connection to the E 170th St corridor. Even when being almost directly east of E 170th St, Parkchester residents have always been forced to take longer and more indirect routes to get across town.  The new route alignment also eliminates a narrow and circuitous segment on Ogden and Plimpton Avenues that the route uses just before heading into Manhattan,which will help riders get into Manhattan much faster.  In addition, 21% of bus stops will be removed.  The Bx11 will also have an easier time maneuvering E 174th St than the Bx36 has due to the street’s width given that the Bx36 uses articulated buses while the Bx11 does not. This becomes evident when the Bx36 turns from E 174th St to E 173rd St, which is a difficult turn for larger vehicles. This might make driving more convenient along E 174th St as less cars will be stuck behind smaller and more maneuverable buses.

Narrow E 174th St might have been difficult for articulated buses to manuever

Narrow turn at E 174th St/E 173rd St will be easier for standard length buses than articulated buses to maneuver

New Bx11 bus stop at Westchester Av/Hugh J. Grant Circle

Signage indicating bus stop changes at Westchester Av/Hugh. J Grant Circle

      The Bx18 will be extended to serve the circuitous segment in which the Bx11 will no longer serve and will act as the only loop or circulator route in The Bronx Bus System. It will operate between the Highbridge and Morris Heights neighborhoods via W 168th St, Shakespeare Av, Macombs Rd as well as Sedgwick and Undercliff Avenues with more frequent headways than now. According to the MTA’s Existing Conditions Report for The Bronx, 30.8% of Bx18 riders do not transfer at all, meaning that the circulator will provide more coverage needed to transport riders between the two neighborhoods. 19% of bus stops will be removed from the Bx18.

New Bx18 bus stop at W 168th St/Woodycrest Av

Narrow Shakespeare Av that Bx11 had to navigate around Highbridge before entering into Manhattan

The Bx35 will no longer travel through Gladstone Square in an effort to avoid congestion in the area and travel straight to Foxhurst/Hunts Point to replace the Bx11, Gladstone Square will also still be within walking distance of a Bx35 bus stop. This will provide West Farms residents more direct and reliable access to the E 168 St and E 167th St corridors as well as Washington Heights, Manhattan as well as many bus and subway bus transfers. The new alignment will still have stops in walking distance to E 170th St for those still traveling to that corridor. 15% of bus stops along the route will be removed.

New Bx35 bus stop at West Farms Rd/Vyse Av

Narrow Hoe Avenue corridor that Bx35 bus will now avoid

The Bx36 which travels between Soundview and Washington Heights will operate on  E tremont Ave rather than indirect routing on E 174th St, Boston Rd and E180th St, which slowed down buses. Bx36 stops will remain within walking distance to current stops along E 180th St. The Bx36 had the 4th highest weekday and Sunday ridership and the 5th highest Saturday ridership of any bus route in The Bronx according to the MTA’s Bronx Existing Conditions Report. As for many Soundview residents, this is one of their only transportation options to access the rest of The Bronx as well as subway lines to Manhattan and other boroughs. 21% of Bx36 bus stops will be eliminated to improve speed and reliability along the route.

New Bx36/Bx36-LTD bus stop at E Tremont Ave/Southern Blvd

The Bx40/42 routes, which go across the entire borough from the Throgs Neck neighborhood all the way to Highbridge and the River Park Towers, will run on E 180th St/Burnside Ave between Van Nest Ave and the River Park Towers  rather than East Tremont Ave in order to provide more direct crosstown service. That is crucial for these routes as they are among the longest crosstown routes in The Bronx system. For Throgs Neck bus riders these buses are the only public transportation accessible to them outside of the BxM9 to Midtown Manhattan. For others along the corridor, it connects them to many neighborhoods and points of interest along the corridor as well as  access to many bus routes,  subway lines, and two MNR lines, allowing for many L-shaped trips throughout the borough. This will also provide riders to the accessible E 180th St station to access the 2 and 5 trains, something the current transfer point at West Farms Sq-E Tremont Av does not provide.  32% of bus stops on the Bx40 and 27% of Bx42 stops will be eliminated.

New Bx40/42 bus stop at E 180th St/Southern Blvd

Considering the radical changes to be brought on to these bus routes, trips will become much faster, more direct and some connections will be formed that previously didn’t exist. Residents will be able to find jobs in areas that otherwise would’ve been too inconvenient or far. More residents might be inclined to travel given the increased frequency and more reliable service buses might offer. If this major part of the  Bronx Bus Redesign implementation goes smoothly, it might change the livelihoods of many.