I-81 open forum welcomes South Valley to voice concerns, questions
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Approximately three miles away from Syracuse University, residents of the South Valley community gathered for an open house Tuesday night to learn more about the ongoing construction and future timeline of the Interstate 81 viaduct project.
Residents had the opportunity to speak directly to members of the I-81 viaduct project team and the New York State Department of Transportation to understand how the latest phase of the multi-year, $2.25 billion project would impact road routes and traffic. NYSDOT held the open house at Clary Middle School.
Carolyn Stafford, who lives in the Valley, said she wanted to learn more about how the project would impact her everyday life since the construction to complete the I-81 project would be a “long process.”
“I just want to know what’s gonna happen next. You know, I trust the process and they’re gonna figure it out as they go, but the construction is over a lot of months and years,” Stafford said. “I need to know how to get from here to there.”
Organizers arranged over 30 sign boards with maps showing the long-term changes of new transportation routes and travel times. The boards also laid out the current timeline of construction work for the viaduct project, which includes tearing down portions of I-81 and creating a community grid in its place.
TeNesha Murphy, I-81 viaduct project community liaison and public information officer for the NYSDOT, said the open house aimed to properly educate community members about how the construction would personally affect them.
The project is divided into eight contracts, or phases, Murphy said. The current phase of construction is expected to be completed in early 2026, according to the NYSDOT’s sign boards at the open house.
“Our thought process behind this open house was to help the community in this area understand what’s going to be happening in the next two years with this project and what the infrastructure is going to look like once the project is complete,” Murphy said.
As part of the project — which NYSDOT approved in 2019 — part of the existing Interstate 481 will be redesignated as I-81 while also creating a business loop.
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As part of NYSDOT’s effort to educate the Syracuse community about the implications of the I-81 viaduct project, Murphy said the department will host additional open houses located in neighborhoods where future construction will occur.
Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens said the open house provided an opportunity for residents to ask questions and receive updated information from NYSDOT. Like Owens, Joe Driscoll, I-81 project director, said the community sees these events as necessary given the scale of the project.
“I’m grateful that they’re taking so much effort to explain it to people because without it, you have a lot of anxiety and a lot of stress and the more resources and energy we can dedicate to educating the public talking to them, making them feel at ease with what’s going on, the better the outcome will be for everyone,” Driscoll said.
Other Valley residents, like Kathy Downing, were concerned with specific areas of construction. Although Downing said she was worried specifically about construction near Downtown, she said she was glad NYSDOT held the open house.
Syracuse community members also spoke about the significance of NYSDOT publicly releasing information on timelines for construction and changes in travel time.
Maurice Brown, legislator-elect for the 15th district of the Onondaga County Legislature, said the information can improve trust between residents and the government, specifically by allowing people to be a part of the process.
Brown also discussed the project’s end goal of revitalizing communities harmed by the construction of the highway and how it can connect SU to the neighborhoods surrounding it.
“A community should be connected and we literally have a physical highway dividing the university and our downtown, when it really should just be one big area and I think the community grid is progress towards that,” Brown said. “I’m happy that this is happening because it’s a step in the right direction.”
Phases three, four and five of construction for the I-81 project will begin in early 2024, according to NYSDOT. In an October forum at SU, Betsy Parmley, I-81 viaduct project director for NYSDOT, said New York State will not begin construction for the community grid itself until 2026.
The next open house will be held near Syracuse’s Inner Harbor sometime in the spring, Murphy said.
Driscoll said that while the I-81 project will certainly have its challenges as construction continues over the coming years, it will ultimately create unity among Syracuse’s neighborhoods.
“There’s no fully righting the wrongs,” Driscoll said. “We want to make sure we’re moving toward more of a community.”
