Syracuse residents and commuters to the city from nearby suburbs such as DeWitt and Manlius are invited to an I-81 Viaduct Project open house Tuesday night.
The meeting is hosted by the State Department of Transportation (DOT) and will feature renderings of what the I-81 and I-481 South Interchange will loo like, when completed.
TeNesha Murphy, the I-81 Viaduct Project Community Liaison, explains it’s an opportunity for drivers to get introduced to the future highway traffic flow, and what they need to pay attention to.
“We’ll have some work zone traffic control boards so folks can understand just how we’re going to build things, and how that will impact their daily lives in terms of their routes that they take to get to and from work, school and entertainment," Murphy said. "We’re also going to have the design builder."
Another interchange that is heavily travelled daily, and connects traffic from Fayetteville-DeWitt, is Interchange Three near Wegmans. A bit further north, on I-481 in East Syracuse, another road construction project will happen.
“Our Contract Two also encompasses the bridge that is over the CSX rail yard. We’re going to be widening that and folks may already see some of that construction happening there," Murphy said. "We’re going to be widening that bridge from two to three lanes."
She explains that the I-81 Viaduct Project will impact a lot of people in the suburbs north and south of the city – and points in between. The current and ongoing preparations are well in advance of the Community Grid that will eventually replace the I-81 viaduct through Downtown Syracuse.
The NYS DOT Open House is set for Tuesday, Nov. 14th from 6-8 p.m. at Clary Middle School at 100 Amidon Dr. in Syracuse.
