Group Against Smog & Pollution

Hotline, Winter 2002

The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) opposes the extension of the Mon-Fayette Toll Road into the Oakland district of Pittsburgh. We see this extension as likely to have seriously adverse effects on both human and natural environments in and near the city.

GASP’s primary mission has always been to restrain pollution of the environment. We await the Draft Environmental Impact Statement to be issued by the Turnpike Authority. But as we wait, it appears to us that the proposed expressway promises to exacerbate the region’s air pollution problems. These problems are already large enough to be likely to place us out of compliance with forthcoming standards for ozone and fine particulates.

Other air pollutants, as well, would come from the asbestos and rubber friction associated with wheels and brakes. The road would have its most telling impact on the very young, the very old, and on victims of asthma, whose numbers constitute a health problem that has been described as being of epidemic proportions. Since such high-speed highways are heavily salted in conditions of snow and ice, much more corrosive saline runoff can be expected.

Noise would also be increased by this highway. Those living near it will experience much higher sound levels than at present, while even those somewhat further away will experience the continuous, annoying lower sound levels that many cities are compelled to hear. And much more light pollution can be expected along the route, especially at interchanges.

Even if the forthcoming Draft Environmental Impact Statement predicts that there will be no adverse environmental effects, which we doubt, such a DEIS prediction must be borne out by the careful review of this document by citizens and environmental and public interest groups like GASP.

Bringing that superhighway on its most likely route through Duck Hollow, Braddock, and Hazelwood and damaging the social fabric of these communities, among others, would not only be unethical but also possibly illegal, for Federal law requires that such changes, however well meant, not be bought at the expense of the less affluent among us. The existence of this superhighway might well destroy the economic potential and viability of those neighborhoods. And routing this road near the edge of the Mon River would also, for the foreseeable future, prevent us from fully capitalizing on the inherent beauty of the river.

The construction of the Mon Valley Expressway as projected, while it suits the interests of land developers in suburban areas, would work toward destroying the precious environmental resources offered by a compact city like Pittsburgh.

On a larger geographical scale, the September 11 tragedy says to us that the United States must overcome its addiction to Middle East oil; we must move away from expanding expressway systems to better public transportation. Transporting people from the eastern environs of the county into the city with a world-class rail system (such as the excellent light rail system running through downtown and into the South Hills) would be a good place to start, and could serve as a model for the rest of the country.

Finally, there is the matter of cost. The nearly $2 billion price tag on this last leg of the toll road will not come solely from those who drive their cars on it; all Pennsylvanians will be footing the bill through increased taxes. One proposal being floated about has it that the toll fees will only cover the road’s maintenance. Proponents’ hopes that the Federal government will cover a major share of the costs seem unrealistic.

The debate has not even commenced on alternative ways of using the money to provide desperately needed help to those living in the Mon Valley. Admittedly, spending such a sum wisely may demand an unrealistic level of cooperation between governmental bodies — unrealistic, that is, before September 11.