To breathe easier, Syracuse should consider replacing the elevated portions of Interstate-81 downtown, say a group of environmental researchers.
“The transportation on I-81, such as mobiles and trucks, has an impact on the air pollution,” said K. Max Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University and one of the leading researchers in the project.
The research project is looking at the effects on air quality from the highways in Syracuse. It began in March 2008. The project is a collaboration of several Central New York universities: Cornell University, Clarkson University and the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. It is funded by Syracuse Center of Excellence, a state organization that promotes research into environmental and energy innovations.
The project is unusual because of its focus on the interstate highway, said Zhang of Cornell University.
“People usually focus more on regional roadways’ pollutions,” Zhang said. “Through our research, they will know more about how the highways cause more air pollution.”
Presently, the project is monitoring two sites. One is the urban location at the building of Syracuse Center of Excellence, located at East Washington and Almond streets. The second site is an upwind residential area at Upper Onondaga Park on the west side of Syracuse.
The project researches air pollutants at both sites. It examines the influence of traffic on air quality at both sites.
Myron Mitchell, another leading researchers in the project and distinguished professor of environmental and forest biology at SUNY-ESF, said choosing to monitor these two sites helps them compare the air quality in the residential side with it in the urban location.
“Our research makes Syracuse’s residents understand how their quality of life is influenced by the air pollution,” Mitchell said.
The project is funded by Syracuse Center of Excellence until 2010. Researchers said they are looking for longer-term grants to keep the research going for at least 10 years.
(Amy Su is a graduate student in magazine- newspaper- online journalism.)
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