New York state Department of Transportation announced last week the state will no longer have a tunnel option to replace Interstate 81.

The options are now down to two: the Viaduct Alternative, which would be a wider version of the highway, and the Community Grid Alternative.

According to a DOT webpage, portions of I-81, built in the 1950s and 1960s, have critical infrastructure issues. Sections of I-81 do not meet the current standards and are experiencing high accident rates, according to the department.

Susan Boyle, a Syracuse Common Councilor, said the I-81 viaduct needs to be repaired or replaced because it is aged and its building code was out of step with the state’s standards. She said I-81 needs many safety and stability updates.

“The discussion is happening because the highway needs to change,” Boyle said. “We need to decide which option for repairing it and bringing it up to current DOT safety standards will best serve our community.”

With the remaining two options, Boyle said the Community Grid Alternative would remove the elevated highway and re-route the I-81 traffic around the city on to Interstate 481. She said she thinks this is the best option for the community.

“This would bring the remaining highway traffic down to street level and would free up 18 acres of land for downtown business development,” Boyle said. “This strategy would allow us to avoid tearing down some buildings.”

The other option is to replace the current viaduct with a wider version that meets current design standards, according to DOT. It would also eliminate the vast majority of problematic features in the project area and improve safety.

Boyle said it will create a faster transit between the suburban communities and downtown and a faster pass through for freight trucking companies.

The Viaduct Alternative has stirred up debate, Boyle said, because widening the road means that some buildings need to be removed, and some of them are historic or currently used for housing and businesses.

According to Syracuse.com, the Destiny USA mall has worked with state lawmakers to propose a tunnel as a solution to I-81. According to Destiny USA, turning I-81 into a state or local road will hurt Onondaga County’s top tourist destination.

DOT said building a tunnel to carry the interstate under the city is too expensive and will take too long to build, according to Syracuse.com.

Building a tunnel requires nearly twice as much as the other options, according to the department.

From the perspective of Syracuse University, Boyle said the grid would free up many more routes to the university for sporting events, and that it would also free up routes to Upstate University Hospital and Crouse Hospital.

“The backup of traffic on the one main highway in or out of our university area would be eliminated,” Boyle said.

All alternatives will improve the safety and connectivity for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists on Almond Street, according to the DOT.

The Viaduct Alternative would cost $1.7 billion and the Community Grid Alternative would cost $1.3 billion, according to the DOT.

DOT and Federal Highway Administration will make the final decision about the I-81, according to the department. Their joint decision will be based on public input and a detailed evaluation of the alternatives.

DOT will hold neighborhood meetings throughout October and November to explain the remaining two alternatives and answer questions from the public.

Published on October 11, 2016 at 10:51 pm

Contact Chieh: chchen@syr.edu