When the Interboro Express (IBX) was announced in January, 2022 by Gov. Kathy Hochul, it came as a welcome surprise to many who had been following the saga of the Triboro Line, a circumferential transit line connecting Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, first proposed by the Regional Plan Association in the mid 1990s. Running along the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch and over the Hell Gate Bridge, the Triboro Line was going to slash travel times between the outer boroughs, especially between the Bronx and Queens. But when the IBX was presented, many were shocked to see that no connections to the Bronx were included.
When asked about this, the MTA claimed that there was not enough capacity [PDF, pg. 2] on the Hell Gate Bridge to support the IBX as well as existing freight and passenger traffic. The MTA even claimed that if the IBX were to ever continue to the Bronx, it would need a new bridge. In 1925, a new East River Bridge might seem sensible, but in 2025 the idea seems as distant as landing men on the surface of Pluto. Given that the Hell Gate Bridge is far from operational capacity, why can’t the IBX use it to reach the Bronx?
Background
On the surface, the Hell Gate Bridge, with three active tracks and a fourth that could be easily reactivated, seems to have more than enough capacity. To understand why this might not be the case, we must first understand how the Hell Gate Bridge is used today, and what is planned for it tomorrow.
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