It is 3 p.m. on a Friday, and Bridgeport’s Geraldine Claytor Elementary School opens its doors. Students pour out and run across St. Stephen’s Road to greet their awaiting parents and grandparents.

Their excited voices trail down the road toward the aquaculture school, where busloads of high school students from Fairfield, Trumbull, and Stratford arrive for the hands-on after-school program. Senior Citizens stroll down St. Stephen’s for an afternoon walk, children play at the park, and people cheerfully greet one another. Such is a typical day in a quiet corner of the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport -– residents, young and old, confidently crossing without giving it a second thought, but this all will change.

“The Last quiet corner of our neighborhood” is under attack.

St. Stephen’s Rd. is home to two schools, a senior apartment complex, playgrounds, and an affordable housing community with over 1,200 residents. This densely populated corner of Bridgeport sits adjacent to the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), which is days away from committing an industrial intrusion in this neighborhood.

The Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) wants to transform the peaceful residential area into a polluted haul road – compromising safety, degrading health and air quality, and disrupting tranquility for locals. PT Partners, a grassroots resident-led nonprofit based in Bridgeport public housing, is actively protesting the aspect of construction that intrudes unnecessarily into their livelihood. They are fighting for the health and well-being of P.T. Barnum residents – echoing their continual “demand to be heard.”

Zenida Gonzalez puts it this way: “St. Stephen’s Road is very important to PT Barnham and to the rest of our community, and we just want to be heard. We want to make sure we can save one piece of Bridgeport for our community because you’re taking everything else from us.”

WPCA’s proposed construction is essential to comply with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection and to reduce sewer overflows. The necessary modernization of Bridgeport’s WPCF is indisputable, and our goal is not to dissuade you from supporting this upgrade. Rather, we suggest an immediate formal rerouting designation; identification and utilization of specific alternate roads, thus protecting the vulnerable populations of St. Stephen’s Rd.

Furthermore, a legally binding agreement among Bridgeport city officials, WPCA, and all contractors should be established to prohibit construction vehicles from entering the street.

Tantamount to preserving quality of life, upholding human rights, and prioritizing environmental justice is ensuring optimal health outcomes for residents and students. A fenceline community should never be forced to choose between environmental progress and human health. Bringing massive construction vehicles into a residential community poses obvious risks to pedestrian safety. Furthermore, consistent exposure to the detrimental air quality produced by the diesel trucks would pose a risk of respiratory distress and, over time, can increase risks of infant mortality and preterm birth.

The health risks posed by this industrial intrusion are avoidable if the WPCA would seek an alternative route for the trucks:

Running parallel to St. Stephens Road on the other side of PT Barnum is Bostwick Avenue. This is a street that the community does not relate to as it is an industrial zone. It creates pollution, and it isn’t a safe environment for our children to play. The asphalt factory is on Bostwick as well as “the incinerator”. The WPCF already has an entrance on Bostwick. This sewage treatment plant is known to be unsafe to our community because of the passing of Gary Crooks. As a young child, he died in their cesspool. This is not a future we want for our children.

The value of Bridgeport should be measured by its efforts to protect its residents. This means not only conducting the imperative upgrades that the WPCF requires but also safeguarding those who live alongside it. Some places are worth protecting; St. Stephen’s Road is one of them, and this is only possible when we raise our voices. We urge readers to sign our petition to grab the attention of Bridgeport City Council members- and to contact PT Partners for more information on how to support the movement. Saving St. Stephen’s Road requires immediate action. Act now to help protect our lives, homes, and health.

Razul Branch and Zenida Gonzalez are members of PT Partners.