Neighbors Fed Up With Long Running Long Island Roadwork

MELVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Residents in a Long Island neighborhood are complaining that they have been besieged by an enormous construction project along Route 110.

A $56-million construction project has been going on, on a stretch of Gwynne Road in Melville for three years. Residents told CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan that the noise and debris make it feel like a war-zone, day and night.

Cindy Marra said that while she expected to be inconvenienced by the project, things have gone too far. She said that the project is now affecting her children, giving her sons headaches.

"I'm afraid to let them go outside to breathe this in, I don't know what it is," Marra said

Marra was referring to the acrid chunks of pulverized pavement that are spewed into the air every day by jack-hammers, while crews work to rebuild the area where the Northern Parkway Bridge was demolished at Route 110.

Marra's next door neighbor, Deborah Lane, said that she is at her wit's end.

"The fumes coming in, everything has to be closed. Windows too, dust all through the house," Lane said.

The Department of Transportation held public informational hearings to explain to residents why the rehab and upgrades were necessary.

The DOT said 200,000 vehicles use the intersection every day. It also also assured homeowners that the particles in the air are not carcinogenic.

What do you think, is the construction an unnecessary intrusion into the daily lives Melville residents, or a needed improvement to a public space? Let us know in our comments section below...