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The community grid alternative of the Interstate 81 viaduct project will take six years to construct, according to the project’s environmental impact statement.

The report, which was released on Friday, detailed the environmental and economic impact the viaduct removal and its alternatives would have on the surrounding community. The community grid was identified by the report as the “preferred alternative” for the project by the New York State Department of Transportation.

The six years of construction would follow two phases, according to the statement. The first involves all work necessary to re-designate Interstate 481, which runs through Syracuse’s eastern suburbs, as I-81. The designation would mean directing traffic usually traveling along I-81 onto I-481. The two intersect in north Syracuse.

The second phase involves closing segments of the eastbound Interstate 690 and using a local street detour between West Street and Crouse Avenue for the disrupted traffic. Afterwards, the phase would see I-690 reconstructed, the viaduct demolished and local streets, including Almond Street, reconstructed into the community grid.

Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director

The NYSDOT announced its approval of the community grid option to replace the viaduct in 2019. The plan has been widely endorsed by members of the community, including Mayor Ben Walsh and Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has also spoken in favor of the community grid. New York’s state budget, released on April 7, included $1.1 billion for the viaduct project.

Local residents have also expressed their support for the return of the community that was lost with the initial construction of the viaduct.

While the community grid has garnered widespread support within Syracuse, residents have been working to ensure the project doesn’t further displace people in the area, as well as to create more local hiring opportunities in the construction. The construction of I-81 in the 1950s and 1960s devastated the historical 15th Ward, a predominantly Black neighborhood.

Blueprint 15 is a local nonprofit that has been collaborating with Purpose Built Communities, an organization that deals with community revitalization, to ensure those living in the East Adams neighborhood are not further displaced. The statement claimed that the presence of a more local street network in the community grid plan would neither affect the accessibility of local businesses in the area or displace residents.

According to the statement, 55,851 people live in the central study area — the land immediately adjacent to the viaduct — that the project would affect as of 2019.

Danny Kahn | Design Editor

Part of the statement was an analysis of the effect to the surrounding community that the construction of the community grid could bring.

According to the statement, the NYSDOT anticipates temporary increases in noise, emissions from construction equipment, traffic detours and changes in the visual appearance of the neighborhoods near construction zones.

The statement said the construction will be coordinated with Dr. King Elementary School, which lies adjacent to the viaduct.

The NYSDOT will conduct regular outdoor ambient air monitoring at the school to monitor construction emissions. While the statement said the department will implement “corrective measures” should emissions exceed projected levels around the school, it did not specify what those measures would be.

I-81 Final Environmental Im… by Richard Perrins

Any asbestos, lead-based paint or hazardous materials that are encountered during the project’s construction would be transported to licensed handling facilities, the statement reads.

While the NYSDOT will open detour routes for businesses that may have less accessibility because of construction, the department will not relocate those businesses except for properties that will be permanently acquired.

If a property is permanently acquired, the state will pay “fair market value” for the property.

The statement anticipated four buildings, with 35 employees, would be displaced by the construction of the community grid.

In addition to the detours, the statement detailed local street improvements that would be implemented under the project, including the reconfiguration of travel lanes, addition of turn bays, installation of temporary signals and ramp modifications. The statement also said that Van Buren Street would be permanently rehabilitated as a result of the project, and Crouse Avenue would be converted from one- to two-way traffic.

The department will also not relocate residents who live in or near construction areas, unless it permanently acquires those properties.

The department will close a 20-foot portion of Wilson Park, which is next to the viaduct, to provide a safety buffer between the park and construction. The buffer would be in effect for less than a year of the community grid option, the statement said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on March 21 that the statement could mean breaking ground on the community grid project by the end of 2022. The NYSDOT’s website for the viaduct project sets out the schedule to break ground on the project in the fall of 2022.

Both the statement and the NYSDOT website list two other main proposals for the project — a “no build” option, which would maintain the highway in its current condition, and a “viaduct alternative” that calls for a complete reconstruction of the viaduct.

The release of the statement triggered a 30-day public review period, following which the state will issue a record of decision.

Published on April 17, 2022 at 11:58 pm

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2