The owner of a long-time Syracuse commercial printing company in the shadow of I-690 is worried that future construction might force him to close. It's another example of how the massive I-81 project is impacting the urban environment.
The loading dock for Hansen Quality Printing is easy to miss. It's squeezed between the back of the building off N. McBride St. and the retaining wall for I-690 westbound. Traffic roars overhead as it approaches the I-81 interchange. But as construction progresses on 690 as part of the I-81 project, owner Mike Hansen faces a major dilemma with his only loading dock.
“It is not on our property. It is on DOT property," he told state DOT leaders at a recent common council meeting.
“Over 20 years ago, we were given permission to put that loading dock on the back because was previously on the front of the building on Burnet Ave. When the tractor trailers would come in, they would block the road. They would be there sometimes up to an hour while we unload rolls of paper into our building.”
Hansen said that’s clearly no longer an option.
“If I put five trucks a day across that road, you're never going to hear the end of it. So we have to come up with a solution or I'm going to have to move or just close.”
Hansen said moving massive printing equipment would be a monumental if not impossible task that he'd rather not take on after 40 years in the business.
Regional DOT director Betsy Parmley said while the state does give permission to use its property, they also have the right to take it back when they need it.
“Our goal is to find a solution for you," she told Hansen. "But right now, that loading dock is abutting I-690. So it's within our area that we need to build 690.”
Parmley said letters were about to be sent to Hansen and others near I-690 warning of the rebuilding of highway as it connects to I-81 starting in late 2027.
“Something else we plan on doing is actually walking these corridors with our engineers in charge, with our construction personnel, so they're familiar with every business along the way, with every residence along the way," she said. "So then we can start to have that very pointed outreach to these businesses.”
Councilor Helen Hudson urged the DOT leaders to be more mindful of the project’s impact on everyone in its path.
“We need to figure out a way to compromise because you're talking about businesses that's been here for 40 years that's getting pushed out," she said. "You're talking about real people and you're talking about real lives.”
