Residents in Syracuse’s Valley neighborhood near the Loretto complex say drivers are using their side street to avoid the construction on the nearby I-81 project. Signs discourage drivers not to use Loretto’s driveway as a through street.
Construction is pretty obvious all around the Loretto property. It’s off of E. Glen Avenue, which crosses I-81 from E. Brighton Avenue. Crews are installing a roundabout at the Loretto entrance. They’re also putting up noise barrier walls. The trouble is E. Glen Ave happens to end as a public street and join Loretto's private driveway. People are using it as a cut-through to Fillmore Ave, and neighbors are complaining about increased traffic.”
A long-time Fillmore Avenue resident didn’t want to share her name because she says she’s already faced retribution for complaining.
“Especially with the stop sign here, if they see you standing here, they'll stop," she said. "But normally I could sit on my porch and they'll just drive right through. The tractor trailers...we never had tractor trailers coming up through here. I don't know if it's the GPS, I don't know if they're detours, but tractor trailers don't belong in this neighborhood.”
As we begin to chat, Rhonda Vesey pulls up. She runs a healthy foods market in Valley Plaza just down the hill on South Salina Street, and also lives nearby.
“We live here, so that's not fair," Vesey said. "They would have had to do a little bit more thinking ahead and let people be aware well before they got to this point right here.”
NYS DOT, LORETTO, AND CITY RESPOND
In an email, the state DOT says their work involves only the East Glen bridge and the roundabout. They say everything between the roundabout and Fillmore Ave. is on Loretto’s property, and they would be in charge of controlling through traffic.
For its part, Loretto said in an email that they continue to monitor the impacts of construction for the safety and of its staff and residents, and that additional security provisions would be a coordinated effort with the city and state.
In an email, City of Syracuse Chief Policy Officer Greg Loh said the city has been engaged in ongoing conversations with NYSDOT regarding construction impact of the Brighton project on the area. He said they will work with NYSDOT and Loretto to consider all possible interventions to address conditions along Fillmore Avenue.
