2d1111111111swilf 011. 11111110 Sponsored Page Mr airy yol"V wyWr OW out ow mg 11110 Mr NW amid 00 pie ar sr fag OF ' , f p-e Detroit Journalism 40 opti 110 I I 411, COOPERATIVE Pollution Concerns Envelop Neighborhoods Near New International Bridge By Natasha Dado Detroit — Patricia Gonzalez can't imagine living in Southwest Detroit's Delray Neighborhood after the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) opens. "My biggest concern about the second bridge is increased truck traffic. This area is already too polluted," said Gonzalez, a longtime Delray resident. Delray was chosen as the U.S. site for the GHIB. The impoverished neighborhood is located near the Ambassador Bridge, North America's busiest international border crossing. Approximately 10,000 trucks cross over the Ambassador Bridge everyday. Then known as the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC), GHIB is set to open in 2020 and will connect Detroit and Windsor. The GHIB will increase truck traffic by 125 percent, according to Simone Sagovac, program director of the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition. Jeff Cranson, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), said the most recent published estimate compiled as part of the DRIC study is that truck traffic will grow at the rate of 2.5 percent per year, which will result in a 109 percent increase in 30 years from today's traffic. "I don't think that having one or two bridges is going to change the fact that if the economy improves, we are going to have more trucks," Sagovac said. "And if we have more trucks and only one bridge, there is going to be more congestion." Increased truck traffic renews concerns about hazardous diesel exhaust emissions According to Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, diesel emissions from mobile sources is the top issue of concern for southwest Detroit and South Dearborn communities. Diesel exhaust is linked to respiratory problems and cancer. It is a complex mixture of gases and fine particles commonly known as soot that contains several toxic air contaminants. The pollut- ant can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. In Delray, semi-trucks can be spotted traveling through the neighborhoods all day. Delray is situated near the highway, which also contributes to the heavy truck traffic. Diesel exhaust from truck traffic is only one source of pollution. Southwest Detroit is surrounded by refineries and heavy industries, making it home to some of Michigan's most polluted ZIP codes. Delray's 48209 ZIP code is one of Michigan's most polluted. A coal fired plant and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Plant are close to the homes of Delray residents who can also see Zug Island from only a short distance. Sagovac explained that diesel exhaust can be just as much a threat to human health as pollution from industrial sources. The smokestacks are disbursing the pollution high above, away from the community," she said. "But the truck traffic, the emissions are emitted at the human level and the diesel particulate that comes out. There is a whole array of different toxins that come out of die- sel emissions and it stays down on the ground level with people." Fate of residents who won't receive buyouts questioned Residents living within the footprint of the project will be offered buyouts. State Rep. Stephanie Chang (D- Detroit), has been working with the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition and a community advisory group to ensure Delray is still a livable area after the bridge opens. "We want Delray to be a hopeful, vibrant area for the residents who will still be living here after the second bridge opens," she said. According to the 2010 census, Delray had a population of 2,783 people. Cranson said 142 residential properties have been identified for acquisition and demolition. The project footprint was identi- fied in the Record of Decision in 2009. Maria Avila, a lifelong resident of south- west Detroit, believes all residents in Delray should be given the option of moving out. "They should have a choice," she said. "Either move them out or give them every accommodation they ask for; and that includes installing air filtration systems in homes." Environmental impact of bridge concerns residents A second border crossing is concern- ing to Gonzalez's 15-year-old son Haracio Vargis, who has asthma. "The pollution gets into my lungs," he said. "I just try and avoid it as much as I can." In southwest Detroit, one in five children have asthma, according to the Michigan Environmental Council. Gonzalez is still grieving the loss of her eldest daughter, who died of cancer in 2012. "If you ask a lot of the families from the 15-year-old son Haracio Vargis, who has asthma; his sister Karla Adela Vargis with their mother Patricia Gonzalez who lost her eldest daughter to cancer in 2012. They are longtime residents of the Delray Neigh- borhood, but believe their fate in the community is uncertain. Delray, you will see that many have can- cer," Gonzalez said. "If I knew the future, and I would have known that my daughter would live until 80 years old in Mexico? I would have never come here." In 2014, the Clean Air Task Force exam- ined the deaths and other adverse health effects and costs attributable to the fine particle air pollution resulting from power plant emissions in Wayne County. Deaths, 70; heart attacks, 110; asthma attacks, 1,400; hospital admissions, 47; chronic bronchitis, 43; and asthma ER visits, 98. Cranson said the air quality analysis completed for the GHIB concluded that the project is predicted below the standards stated in the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAAA). Dr. Van Brad Van Guilder, organizing representative of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Campaign said local air quality monitors don't test for diesel exhaust making it difficult to identify how much the pollutant impacts air quality. MDOT has worked aggressively to support community efforts to obtain and implement grants to limit diesel emission in Southwest Detroit. "It is such a huge amount of pollu- tion that all the houses and buildings are starting to be covered with a thick layer of black dust, which is very difficult to remove," said Elias Gutierrez, publisher of the Latino Press. Gonzalez is a mother of four. Her fam- ily's fate in Delray is still uncertain. "What are we going to do?" Gonzalez asked. "Should I stay here? My family is here. There is a community here. I don't know where to ask these questions or who is going to help us." About this series New Michigan Media (NMM) is a collaboration between the five largest minority media in SE Michigan (The Arab American News, The Latino Press, The Michigan Chronicle, The Michigan Korean Weekly, and The Jewish News) with a combined estimated circulation of 120,000 weekly. NMM is also a founding partner of The Detroit Journalism Cooperative (DJC). Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Renaissance Journalism's Michigan Reporting Initiative and the Ford Foundation, the DJC aims to report about and create community engagement opportunities in Detroit and its post-bankruptcy recovery. Each article in the series appears in all the NMM member newspapers, and is posted on the DJC website. This article is from THE LATINO PRESS. The DJC is a unique collaboration between impor- tant media outlets of the region, and includes The Center for Michigan's Bridge Magazine, Detroit Public Television, Michigan Public Radio, WDET and New Michigan Media. er