Image credit: NYC DDC

The Step Street renovation took approximately two years to complete. On April 7, 2020, the Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Transportation announced that the restoration of West Tremont Avenue Step Street, connecting Cedar Avenue to Sedgwick Avenue, has been completed. The project was funded by Transportation and managed by Design and Construction. The restoration of the century-old stairs cost $7 million.

Construction on the steps began in April 2018. The Step Street was fully reconstructed to allow pedestrians and cyclists to safely navigate between Cedar and Sedgwick Avenues. Five energy-efficient Flushing Meadow Park lights were installed and a light pole on the southeast corner of West Tremont Avenue and Cedar Avenue was replaced to help prevent accidents and increase safety. A seven-foot steel picket fence was also installed along the steps.

Cyclists can utilize the new bike channels with handrails that were installed on both sides of the steps. New street markings including a crosswalk, two stop bars and two “STOP” texts are now located on the pavement at West Tremont Avenue on Cedar Avenue and Fordham Place. A stop sign was replaced at West Tremont Avenue and Cedar Avenue.

Five new retaining walls were installed, and old dirt terraces were replaced with new granite paving stones to prevent soil erosion. A new CityBench was also added. As part of the final street restoration, which will be completed in spring 2020 when the weather is consistently 40 degrees or higher, 6,728 feet of roadway will be laid down with a two-inch overlay. Five hundred and twenty-five plants will be planted throughout the Conselyea Park area.

Drains were placed on the Step Street’s landings and connected to 110 feet of newly installed storm sewer, to prevent flooding and reduce snow melt accumulation. One catch basin was added and one was replaced. An additional 160 feet of combined sewer was replaced. Access to the sewers were enhanced with the installation of four new manholes and the replacement of two older ones.

The restoration included a reconstruction of 4,240 square feet of sidewalks along West Tremont Avenue. Thirty-seven feet of curb and 300 square feet of sidewalks were reconstructed with new pedestrian ramps at the northeast and southeast corners of West Tremont Avenue. Four new trees will also be planted in the spring. The completion of the West Tremont Avenue Step Street follows the reconstruction of the West 229th Step Street and Clifford Place Step Street, also in the Bronx, which were finished in 2019.

Design and Construction Commissioner Lorraine Grillo said: “The West Tremont Avenue Step Street is an important link in Morris Heights that connects Cedar Avenue to Sedgwick Avenue and provides residents with easier access to the BX18, BX40 and BX42 buses. We are delighted to work with DOT to restore this historic piece of infrastructure and make it safer and easier to navigate around the community.”

City Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson said: “In the West Bronx, step streets are essential thoroughfares for connecting residents to their destination. The completion of the West Tremont Avenue step street eases accessibility to transportation between Cedar Avenue and Sedgwick Avenue, and the installation of new lighting and bike channels will help promote pedestrian safety. The restoration of the steps and investment in the neighborhood is a tremendous win for the residents of Morris Heights and I want to thank DDC and DOT for their hard work and commitment to this project.”

By: Laine Vitkevich (Laine is a CityLaw intern and New York Law School student, Class of 2020)