The Onondaga Citizens League (OCL) today released the results of its latest study and
recommendations for the future of Interstate 81 in Syracuse. The elevated portions of I-
81 as it passes through Syracuse are nearing the end of their useful life. OCL
recommends a solution that reroutes through traffic around the city and replaces a
section of I-81 with an at-grade urban boulevard for local traffic. The study found that
this concept would benefit the entire region by stimulating economic development and
job growth, relieving traffic congestion and creating a healthier environment.
The New York State Department of Transportation has begun detailed studies of the
interstate's bridges, which must be replaced-not just repaired-in the near future. The
study report concludes that since the elevated bridges must come down anyway, it
makes sense to reroute through traffic to I-481 and replace the bridges with an
attractive, pedestrian-friendly boulevard in the Almond Street corridor between East
Adams Street and Erie Boulevard.
The OCL report finds that I-81 is a visual and physical barrier between downtown and
the University Hill area and serves as an obstacle to the growing educational and
medical institutions. "The 'eds and meds' of University Hill are Central New York's
leading economic engines," says Doug Sutherland, a member of OCL's Board of
Directors and study committee. "If we capitalize on this opportunity to make the
Almond Boulevard corridor attractive to new development that captures the energy of
University Hill, we improve the prospects for the CNY region in the years ahead."
According to Rebecca Livengood, chair of the study committee, even if I-81 were rebuilt
as an elevated highway through the city, it would have to be redesigned. "I-81
downtown doesn't meet current highway design standards," Livengood says. "The
lanes are too narrow, exit ramps are too short, and there are no shoulders or emergency
lanes, among other problems. There just isn't room to recreate I-81, with the current
entrance and exit configuration, in the Almond Street corridor."
OCL studied other cities where elevated highways were replaced by surface roads. In
those cities, including Milwaukee and San Francisco, areas around the teardowns
experienced increased property values and new economic growth. Anticipated traffic
congestion did not materialize, and improvements to the street grid allowed traffic to
flow more logically. The OCL report concludes that diverting I-81 through traffic from
the downtown area, where the I-81 speed limit is 45 miles per hour, to I-481, would
benefit both long-distance travelers and local commuters.
"The I-81 challenge is more than a question of moving cars, it is an opportunity for us
to create a strategy to benefit our region's core," says OCL Executive Vice President
Sandra Barrett. "We believe that a revitalized Almond Street corridor, with new
development connecting it to downtown, would increase the attractiveness of the
region as a place to work, live and visit."
To view the full report, go to
http://onondagacitizensleague.org. For more information,
contact Barrett at (315) 443-5404.
The Onondaga Citizens League, administered and supported by University College of
Syracuse University, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization designed to promote
citizen education and involvement in public affairs. OCL was created in 1978 by a
group of concerned citizens to study problems and propose solutions to issues facing
Central New York. The league does not promote specific legislation nor function as a
lobbying group.
