by CNYCentral
Tue, April 23rd 2019 at 3:57 PMSYRACUSE N.Y. — In the next few years, the gateway to downtown Syracuse will likely be filled with a grassy median, newly planted trees, bike lanes, and fresh sidewalks.
The downtown landscape is set to change in a dramatic way with the New York State Department of Transportation now taking a stake in the future of Interstate 81 through Syracuse, throwing its support behind the community grid.
We are starting to get a better picture of the construction project that will shape our area for the next generation. Sarah Hill with the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of New York State tells CNYCentral they support a project of this magnitude, saying it will bring nearly 2ドル million in investment and new construction jobs to the area. The AGC has about 200 member firms from the Central New York region, including general contractors, vendors, subcontractors and engineering firms.
The state expects to begin construction of the grid in May of 2020. They anticipate the project will take about 5 years to complete. Hill says that is a reasonable goal.
Before that, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh says the DOT will hold a large community meeting and a series of smaller meetings in communities impacted by the proposal.
After that, there will be a formal public hearing and a 45-day comment period. Then, the DOT will issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement and a "Record of Decision."
Walsh expects that process to take through the end of 2019.
Once the final plan is set, Hill says drivers should expect to start seeing road closures, message boards explaining detours and information in the media leading up to the construction.
Commuters, she says, might deal with a slightly longer commute as people learn new traffic patterns to get through the construction. The goal, however, is to mitigate traffic concerns and build a new business loop that will create more opportunities for the area in the future. Hill says boulevards with green walkways, a bike path and slowed traffic are increasingly popular across the country and bring communities together.
CNYCentral reached out to several local construction and engineering companies for their perspective, but they were either consulting with the DOT on the project or planned to bid on it.