The New York Department of Transport is taking the first steps to the Demolence of Syracuse, the Viaduct of the Center of the I-81 in New York, it is again connected and revitalized the disadvantaged neighborhoods divided by the structure for more than half a century.
In April, Nysdot awarded the fifth contract in the scheduled dollars program, of $ 2.3 billion, transferring the I-81 traffic to the deterioration of the high road of 1.4 miles. The $ 251 million project, which is being carried out by Salt City builders, will pass to the southern end of the existing motorway runner, redesigned as a business loop 81, in a “community network” of pedestrian -friendly streets. A new railway bridge, rainwater and wastewater infrastructure, cycling services and noise barriers will also be built.
The project also includes the elimination of the first seven extensions of the viaduct. Nysdot hopes that the high structure is expected to be closed completely at the end of 2026, and the new construction has been completed the following year.
Salt City Builders, a collaboration by Lancaster Development and Tully Construction Co., Da Collins Construction Co. Inc. and Cold Spring Construction Co. Inc., also manages two projects related to the north side of Syracuse: $ 296.4 million reconstruction of an existing I-81/481 exchange and a $ 218.9 million project to consolidate existing for a new LOOP BL 81 business.
Demolition at the door
Residents of the historically black neighborhoods on the south side of Syracuse have requested elimination of the Obrusive viaduct. It was completed in the 1960’s, the structure displaced more than 1,300 families and contributed to economic and social marginalization for decades of the community that surrounded it, according to a history of the Union of Civil Freedoms of New York (NYCLU).
As the removal of the viaduct finally advanced to reality, however, Nyclu and other community defenders sought guarantees in Nysdot that hundreds of families currently living nearby would be fully protected from powder in the air, lead -based paint chips and other pollutants associated with demolition work.
According to a statement provided to Enr, Nysdot says he has regularly and proactively sought community contributions, as Syracuse’s connection elements have taken shape in recent years.
“ Listening to the voices of the people living in the neighborhoods under construction has been integral and helped to shape the approach and execution of the project, ” the statement added, noting that after the launch of the environmental impact declaration project, the agency received “ thousands of comments from residents living in the shadow of the viaduct, ” asking that more health protections be established during construction.
In response, Nysdot says he has collaborated with community partners and proponents, as well as state and local agencies to develop a comprehensive health and safety plan that “aligns strategically with the existing unprecedented health commitments”.
Nysdot provides residents of adhesive mats designed to eliminate dirt, dust and other pollutants in the soles of the shoes; and a variety of public information materials such as informative magnets and tip sheets. A telephone line dedicated to community health will help residents in the neighborhood with possible worries related to construction. The Agency has also hired an industrial hygienist to help control the air pollution detection systems around the project area.
In mid -May, Nysdot and Nyclu held a community meeting to answer the persistent questions of residents directly and provide additional advice to keep their homes without dust as demolition work takes place. Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, director of Nyclu’s Racial Justice Center, says that the event “provided a critical space for discussing the mitigation measures that NYCLU, NYSDOT and the community helped to develop to make sure that the most affected by construction can obtain supplies and support they need.”
Both Nyclu and Nysdot have expressed their commitment to prioritizing community health during the demolition and construction of the community network, which is aimed at completing in 2028.
“We will continue to work with the community and NYSDOT to make sure that the injustices of the original construction do not repeat,” says Owens-Chaplin, “and to provide stability, dignity and economic opportunity for the affected residents.”
Nysdot has not said how the rest of the Syracuse viaduct project could be affected by cuts proposed to federal funding that have helped advance the program. The current version of the Federal Budget Bill considered by the congress annulls more than $ 3 billion in non -obligatory financing of the United States Access Program and Capital of Transportation, including more than half of the $ 180 million grant in the NYDOT in 2023.
