New York State Department of Transportation City Regional Director Erik Koester says the Cross Bronx Expressway Five Bridges Project has been suspended.

The "Five Bridges Project," a proposed $900 million initiative, has faced numerous obstacles and a good deal of pushback for over two years.

Officials say the five elevated bridges along the expressway are over 70 years old and in need of upgrades, which the project would provide.

Critics of the project, including local elected officials and organizations, argue the project would worsen air quality in an area that already deals with pollution and high asthma rates.

Koester says the NYSDOT has been listening to feedback from the community and "significantly scaled back the project last year, eliminating elements that the community did not agree with while adding new elements at their request." He says they did not come to an agreement on how to advance the project

The NYSDOT will not release a final environmental assessment of the project, and it will be suspended, Koester says.

NYSDOT will continue to monitor the conditions of the bridges and make repairs when necessary.

News 12 has reached out to local activists for comment and is waiting to hear back.