NEW YORK, NY November 09, 2009 —Traffic on the Major Deegan in the Bronx is fated to get worse before getting better. The state Department of Transportation is planning a $250-million project just south of Yankee Stadium. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman has more.

REPORTER: The state's transportation department wants to reconstruct the Major Deegan, from 138th Street to Macombs Dam Bridge. The underside mile-long stretch has been protected by netting because pieces of concrete have fallen off, though no one's been hurt.

The $250 million project will also widen and re-configure entrance and exit ramps. Construction isn't slated to begin until the year 2012. But officials say it'll last three to five years, in part because the city doesn't let roadwork take place near baseball stadiums on game days.

The DOT first announced the plan last year. But because it involves eminent domain, and many of the affected property owners complained of insufficient notice, the state agreed to redo the public hearing. For WNYC, I'm Matthew Schuerman.

REPORTER: The public hearing will take place from four to nine pm today at Hostos Community College, on 149th Street in the Bronx.