I-81 construction begins next year, but the hulking highway won’t come down for years

I-81 in Syracuse

I-81 Project Director Mark Frechette and state Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez present the latest versions of plans for rebuilding Syracuse's highway system.Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — Even if construction begins immediately on the Interstate 81 project, the aging eyesore at the center of the city won’t come down for at least 18 months, according to the state transportation department.

That’s according to a newly released construction plan from the state, which provides the most detail yet about what it will take to make the new Interstate 81 a reality.

After years of planning, the public is finally learning more about the proposed “community grid” option for a 1.2-mile section of I-81, the aging viaduct that runs through the heart of Syracuse and needs a major upgrade.

When it’s done, state transportations officials imagine a street-level business route that moves traffic efficiently through the city and helps re-connect two neighborhoods that were ripped apart by the viaduct’s construction in the 1950s.

But much needs to be done before that happens. Below is a look at what construction could look like over the next five years. The state’s construction plans can be found here.

Construction would occur in two phases, according to the DOT. The first phase, the so-called “preparatory phase,” will take two years and will focus primarily on ensuring highways and main arteries in the area can handle disruption caused by the major reconstruction of highways in the second phase.

The raised viaduct at the center of the project — I-81 between Renwick Avenue and Interstate 690 — will not be demolished until the end of phase one, according to the draft environmental impact statement.

Before that section of highway can be demolished, the state will need to do the following things:

  • Build a portion of the new Crouse/Irving interchange with I-690, an addition that promises to ease traffic to and from Syracuse University and other high-density areas near there.
  • Convert what is now Interstate 481 to Interstate 81, which means rebuilding both the north and south interchanges of I-81 and I-481 to accommodate more traffic.
  • Build a new northbound off-ramp to Colvin Street on the city’s South Side, plus construct a southern section of Almond Street between MLK, Jr. East and Van Buren Street.
  • Make permanent and temporary improvements to nearby local streets to help handle increased traffic

The state has described the approximate order of those changes, some of which would occur simultaneously.

I-81 phase 1 construction

This chart from the state transportation department details the first 24 months of construction for the I-81 project. The project is estimated to take five years.

Phase one

The first thing to be completed, according to the state, is a new off-ramp from I-81 to Colvin Street. That will be opened to traffic upon being completed, potentially after six months.

But the most dramatic first-phase changes will occur along Almond Street, which now runs under the doomed viaduct and will become Business Loop 81.

Almond Street will be reconstructed on both the north and south ends, which will take between 18 and 24 months. On the north end, Almond Street will be reconstructed between Fayette Street and I-690. On Almond between MLK, Jr. East and Van Buren Street, a new roundabout will be built to disperse traffic heading into the city.

The changes to the north and south interchanges of I-81 and I-481 would begin immediately and take about 18 months. Afterward, I-481 would be designated as the new I-81.

Only after all the roundabout is built and I-481 is re-designated will the I-81 viaduct be demolished. Demolition is scheduled to take six months, but officials said Friday it could be less than that.

Also in the first 18 months of the project, crews will add new access to the Hill via Interstate 690 by constructing new ramps to and from I-690 at Crouse and Irving avenues.

Another part of the “preparatory” phase is at the northern end of the project. In the first year, the Butternut and Court Street bridges will be replaced in the first year. In year two, the Spencer and Bear Street bridges will be improved, and West Bear Street will be widened.

Once the first phase is done, the state expects to take three years on the second phase.

I-81 in Syracuse

A look at the proposed roundabout near Dr. King Elementary School in Syracuse.Source: NYS DOT

Phase two

In the first 18 months of phase two, eastbound Interstate 690 will undergo major reconstruction on a two-mile section between Leavenworth Avenue and Beech Street.

During this period, eastbound I-690 will be closed between West Street and Crouse Avenue. That highway traffic will be detoured onto West Street, through the city, and back onto I-690 at Crouse Avenue.

Westbound I-690 will remain open.

There will be some “temporary improvements” required to ease congestion caused by the closure, according to the state report. But state officials wrote that in an analysis that the local street grid can handle the increased traffic.

“All other local streets were determined to have enough capacity to accommodate the projected increases in traffic demand during construction,” according to the report authors.

The other major part of phase two is the reconstruction of the interchanges between I-690 and West Street. Over 18 months, ramps will be built between eastbound and westbound I-690 to and from West Street and Genesee Street.

Drivers will still be able to access West Street during this period, and traffic lanes will be shifted at various times during construction to accommodate traffic on westbound I-690, according to the state.

Once the changes are completed to eastbound Interstate 690 and the West Street interchange, which will take about 18 months, westbound I-690 will have its turn to be demolished and rebuilt.

This will be the final 18 months of the five-year project, according to the state.

Reporter Patrick Lohmann can be reached at PLohmann@Syracuse.com or (315)766-6670.

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