To the editor:
As a 30-year resident of the town of Clay who grew up in the 1960s in the town of Cicero, I have been evaluating options for Interstate Route 81 (I-81) through Syracuse since the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) held an open house in October 2016 that presented their results at that time. My interest comes from my strong feelings that the city of Syracuse is our economic, cultural and social hub that needs to be as healthy as possible for Central New York to thrive going forward.
While we await NYSDOT’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement about I-81 to be issued, the October 2016 open house provided much analysis of local data and descriptions of alternatives that are important to consider prior to selecting a preferred alternative. For example:
αRigorous traffic analyses presented two years ago by NYSDOT showed no significant “gridlock” of vehicles was projected under the Community Grid Alternative. Travel times from anywhere outside the city to destinations on the other side of or within the city would change by, at most, 3 to 5 minutes during rush hours.
αA new southbound exit off the expressway immediately east of Salina Street and north of Interstate Route 690 (I-690) as well as new interchanges off I-690 at Crouse and Irving Avenues would be added as part of the Community Grid Alternative as would a new route south of downtown extending north of the expressway from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the “Hill.”
αApproximately 7 to 10 acres of land would become available for various possible future land uses if the elevated portion of the north-south expressway is removed. Such land in our city can be so valuable and provide opportunities in many possible ways.
αA new elevated section of expressway through our city would have a larger footprint to comply with traffic safety needs of our times so more of our urban land would be left to limited uses and 24 additional existing buildings would be demolished.
At a minimum, I encourage all of us to review the data and analyses to be presented by the NYSDOT in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement before coming to any conclusion about the future you prefer for I-81 through our city. And as we review and assess, I earnestly believe that all of us should look most importantly to which alternative is best for our Central New York region as a whole.
Dave Babcock
Liverpool