‘They begin to wheeze or cough,’ Families raise health concerns ahead of Cross Bronx construction
With separate construction already underway near her apartment and expressway work expected to begin this spring, Tiffane Thorpe fears her children’s health could worsen.
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A Soundview mother is pleading for help, saying the environment around her home has contributed to her children’s health problems as construction work on the Cross Bronx Expressway is set to begin in the coming months.
Tiffane Thorpe has lived for eight years at NYCHA’s Bronx River Houses, where her apartment overlooks the busy expressway. She said grime and debris frequently coat her bedroom window, forcing her to keep it shut.
“You smell things that aren’t good, like chemicals,” Thorpe said.
Thorpe said some of her young children have developed environmental asthma, which she believes is linked to prolonged exposure to polluted air. Unable to move, she said she has adjusted her family’s daily routine and now gives her children medication twice a day.
“After long periods of time of breathing in the air, they begin to wheeze or cough,” she said.
With separate construction already underway near her apartment and expressway work expected to begin this spring, Thorpe fears her children’s health could worsen.
Neighbors with similar concerns are calling on state leaders to intervene before construction begins.
“Our governor should come out and take a walk and actually see what other alternative can happen,” said Norma Saunders, president of the Bronx River Houses Resident Association.
The state Transportation Department plans to replace or renovate five bridges along the expressway, which officials say are more than 70 years old. Opponents argue the project would add lanes, pushing the roadway even closer to nearby homes.
Residents worry the impact could be irreversible and last for decades.
“Nobody’s saying it doesn’t need to be fixed,” Saunders said. “But it has to be a better way — something healthier for our community.”
