The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), for the Interstate 81 project downtown Syracuse, includes information on every aspect of a plan that would involve the demolition of an elevated section of the highway and the replacement with a community grid.
The State Department of Transportation has been working on the draft document over the past year. The report. Now available online, answers all 8,000 comments on the project and analyses why the community grid plan has been chosen from 35 alternatives.
One thing the state wants is to emphasize is what it calls environmental resiliency.
Marie Therese Dominguez (State DOT Commissioner) stood in front Syracuse’s Inner Harbor to announce the completion and signing off on the milestone report. Even though the highway is just a half mile away, there was a reason.
Dominguez said, “There are also environmental advantages, one of them being improved water quality. That is why we chose this area.”
Water runoff after a storm can be used to determine the connection between water quality, interstate highways, and water quality. This is what the $2.2 billion project takes into account.
Dominguez stated that DOT will install nearly 18,000 feet of storm sewer trunk lines, and other enhancements, as part of the project. This will help prevent overflows during heavy rainfalls, and protect Onondaga Creek, and Onondaga Lake.
Flooding has been an issue for some parts of 81 since the beginning. Storm water has led to overflow at Onondaga County’s waste water treatment facility, which has in turn affected Onondaga Lake.
Mark Frechette, I-81 project manger, stated that the idea behind the new sewer lines was to allow water to bypass the sewers entirely.
Frechette said, “Were going separate the stormwater, which is on all roads, and we will put that right into creek and lake. Clean water will save millions and millions of dollars, and it won’t require any treatment at the sewage treatment plants.
Frechette stated that there will be more impacts on Syracuse’s water lines. Many of these lines are over 100 years old, which can lead to major water line breakages.
Frechette stated that everyone who lives in the area knows about the problems the city has with its water lines. I didn’t mention them. These will be replaced and impacted, and won’t break in future. At least, not for another 100 years.
The final statement, which is available on the Department of Transportation website, contains information on all aspects of the I-81 project. The public review and comment period ends May 16. After that, a Record of Decision is expected from the federal and state governments. This will open the door to the awarding of contracts, and eventually, a groundbreaking for the mammoth project in the fall.
The project is expected completion in 2028.
