Residents living in the shadow of the Interstate 81 viaduct can learn about air quality at a series of October workshops held by local environmental groups.
The Onondaga Environmental Institute and Focusing Our Resources for Community Engagement CNY will host the workshops in hopes of teaching residents about how construction on the viaduct can affect air quality and how to use air quality monitors.
The two groups want residents to understand the dangers of poor air quality.
“Generally particulate matter levels can be higher near highways or along highways,” said Amy Samuels, the education and outreach coordinator at the Onondaga Environmental Institute. “And so that’s why with the I-81 coming down and also the changing traffic patterns that are going to emerge, we wanted to provide that information to the public and look at how the air quality changes over time.”
Construction on the viaduct will begin in 2026, but its removal and the redesign of Almond Street could happen in 2028.
Health concerns related to the viaduct’s removal sparked the New York State Department of Transportation’s creation of a hotline that allows residents to connect with medical experts. Residents can learn about precautionary measures against the pitfalls of construction, including air pollution and dust and lead paint contamination.
The series of workshops will begin with the first iteration at 6 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Beauchamp Library. OEI and FORCE CNY are still determining the dates and locations of future workshops.
There are currently three research-grade air quality monitors that send data back to researchers. One of the monitors is located on the roof of a building at the intersection of Adams and Almond Street, Samuels said. The monitor’s location is kept secret because they are expensive, Samuels said.
The air quality data sent back to researchers will be made accessible to the public through a digital platform, which is currently being developed by justAir, an organization that develops air quality dashboards. Residents will be able to sign up to receive alerts when air quality is potentially harmful. The dashboard will remind residents to take precautionary measures, including wearing masks and spending more time indoors on days when the pollution levels are especially bad.
Attendees who sign up to attend the workshop via a Google form can provide insights on where the two other monitors will be placed to calibrate the data. Stipends of up to $50 may be available to attend, Samuels said.
Placed in locked metal boxes, they will determine how much pollution is caused by particles 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter.
The smaller the particles, the greater the harm they cause. Breathing unhealthy levels of these particles may increase the risk of asthma, heart disease and low birth weight. Particle pollution may particularly be harmful for children, older adults, pregnant women and those with underlying cardiac or respiratory problems.
Other partners involved in the workshops include Onondaga Earth Corps, SUNY Upstate Medical University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the city of Syracuse, and the Syracuse City School District.
Initially the workshops will have about 30 handheld monitors for participants, though they eventually have as many as 50. Each monitor costs up to $150. The organizations are working on a program that could allow residents to borrow air quality monitors.
“We want people to have a feel for the kinds of numbers that you see for particulate matter,” Samuels said.
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