Traveling along interstates 81 or 481 over the past few months, you’ve likely noticed significant progress on interchanges, bridges, noise barriers, and new lanes. It’s more than obvious to drivers navigating the many construction zones that the $2.5 billion I-81 project is humming along, transforming the highways before our eyes.
State DOT regional director David Smith says there's a lot of activity.
“If you drive around every day, you're seeing changes out there and that's a simple indication that that contractors are really getting a lot of work done, which is really good," Smith said. "And contract three just started within the last several weeks. You can see just passing under the Spencer Street Bridge.”
Contract three includes removing and rebuilding the Spencer, Court, and Bear Street bridges, replacing infrastructure, and rebuilding numerous adjacent city streets. Work should be finished by late 2025.
Contract four has just been awarded, and Smith says work will begin next week on I-690, just east of I-81.
“It will be the new interchange, the eastbound on ramp from Crouse and the westbound off ramp and then we'll also do work on Crouse and Irving to the South, up toward the University Hill.”
That part of the project wraps up in late 2025. Smith says now they’re ready to receive bids for contract five, the portion covering the section of I-81 between the southern I-481 interchange and downtown. They will call it Business Loop 81, including a roundabout near Van Buren Street intended to slow down northbound traffic as it disperses to the street-level grid.
Smith says that part of the project will be a watershed moment.
“Once that's awarded and in construction, we will have all of the phase one projects in construction," Smith said. "So as a milestone, that’s pretty significant.”
All projects in phase one should be finished by late 2025 and early2026. Phase two includes the final three contracts and the demolition of the viaduct, which will begin sometime in 2026.
