NYC DOT Releases Limited Batch of New “The Bronx Leads” Welcome to the Bronx Signs

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2026
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NYC DOT Releases Limited Batch of New "The Bronx Leads" Welcome to the Bronx Signs

Drop also celebrates Bronx Week 2026

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn today announced a limited number of authentic street signs will go on sale today showcasing a new "The Bronx Leads" tagline on the Welcome to the Bronx entry signs to the NYC northernmost borough and the only one attached to the U.S. mainland. The motto also serves as Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson's theme for the borough, which is currently celebrating Bronx Week. Today's release is part of the agency's monthly 'sign drops,' pulled from the wide range of hand-made signs from the NYC DOT Sign Shop, which produces over 70,000 signs each year.

"The Bronx is the entry point for so many people coming to New York City, and it's appropriate they see the borough's pride upon crossing that border," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "From the Bronx Zoo to the Bronx Bombers to the New York Botanical Garden to two of the four largest parks in NYC, the Bronx has so much to offer before visitors even touch another borough."

"The Bronx has helped shape New York City's culture for generations, from music to sports to some of the city's greatest cultural institutions," said DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei. "Just in time for Bronx week, this special sign drop celebrates the borough's unmistakable identity and shares that pride with all New Yorkers."

"'The Bronx Leads' is a declaration of the pride, resilience, culture, and leadership that define our borough every single day," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. "As the birthplace of Hip Hop and home to world-renowned institutions, diverse communities, and generations of hardworking families, the Bronx has always helped shape the story of New York City. Thank you to our partners at NYC DOT for this special sign release during Bronx Week as we celebrate the energy, excellence, and unapologetic spirit of the Bronx."

The origin of the borough's name is derived from Dutch settler Jonas Bronck, believed to be of Swedish origin. One of the city's five distinct boroughs since 1898, the Bronx remained part of New York County until 1914 when Bronx County was created. Today, the Bronx has cultivated thriving communities from West Africa, Central America, South Asia, and the Middle East.

The Bronx is famously home to the New York Yankees, winners of 27 World Series titles, as well as Major League Soccer's only team in the five boroughs, New York City FC. Sedgwick Avenue in the western part of the borough is regarded as the birthplace of Hip Hop music, and the borough is home to many institutions of higher learning including three CUNY schools, Fordham University, Manhattan University, the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and New York Maritime College. The Bronx also features the Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Bronx Children's Museum, and the 23-block Bronx Walk of Fame along the Grand Concourse.

A limited release of 75 signs will be sold online for $100 each and are available one per customer. All signs will be sold via the CityStore, the Official Store of the City of New York, and proceeds will benefit the city's general fund. This signage offers a bit of nostalgia and a literal piece of the city's infrastructure.

Monthly sign drops from NYC DOT feature signs for iconic New York City streets, commemorations of famous New Yorkers, celebrations of special occasions, and other custom releases. NYC DOT began its monthly drops in June 2024, with the release of Christopher Street/Stonewall Place street signs to commemorate Pride Month.

Other recent sign drops include:

• Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg Way
• Welcome to Manhattan: "Hello, gorgeous!"
• St. Mark's Place
• 5th Avenue
• Bleecker Street
• Mulberry Street
• Hip Hop Boulevard to celebrate the genre's musical and cultural legacy
• Welcome to Queens: The World's Borough
• Gay Street in recognition of Pride Month
• Wall Street
• Leaving Brooklyn: Fuhgeddaboudit
• East 161st Street and Shea Road in honor of baseball's opening day
• Love Lane to recognize Valentine's Day
• Broadway in celebration of Broadway Week
• Cornelia Street to honor the street's prominence among pop music fans

About the NYC DOT Sign Shop

The New York City DOT Sign Shop is in Maspeth, Queens and manufactures over 70,000 signs each year. A team of 32 Sign Shop employees hand-make street signs, highway signs, directional signs, parking signs, and more. There are about one million NYC DOT signs in use across the 6,000 miles of streets in New York City.

The monthly drops are the latest iteration of sales that have historically been available from the Sign Shop.

About CityStore

Located at the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street in lower Manhattan, for nearly three decades CityStore has been the official retail store of the City of New York.

The first New York City CityStore-originally known as CityBooks-opened in December 1981 at 61 Chambers Street and was a small store that primarily sold copies of the Green Book and a few select souvenirs. In 1996, renovations to the building caused the store to relocate to the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, where the physical store has resided since. Between 1997 and 1998, CityBooks was rebranded to CityStore in an effort to expand beyond book sales and grow the city's goodwill with visitors and New Yorkers.

Visit CityStore in person at 1 Centre Street, shop online, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.