The first piece of the biggest public works project in central New York history is in place. Traffic is now moving along a new bridge constructed in the Town of Cicero, which is part of the reconstruction of Interstate 81.
Drivers on 81 North in the vicinity of the Interstate 481 interchange will now be driving over what’s called a flyover bridge, according to State Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez.
“It literally is flying over the other lanes of traffic so you can see how it's built, how it's constructed,” she said. “You're allowed to have a high speed movement instead of coming to a stop or slowing down to 15, 20, 25 miles an hour. It allows traffic to move faster. It's safer, actually, believe it or not, at higher speeds.”
This portion of the project was among the first to get going two and a half years ago, as part of a massive decision by the state to approve a community grid vision for 81. Once completed, the new I-81 will send high-speed traffic around the city of Syracuse and create a business loop 81 connecting the city to the Interstate. That will ultimately bring down a crumbling elevated viaduct that split Syracuse in half when it was first built in the 1950s, and destroyed a thriving black neighborhood.
This flyover bridge in Cicero is the first of several parts of the 81 project puzzle to be completed by the end of this year.
“We wanted to make sure that we celebrated a milestone here and this flyover ramp kind of embodies all of the great work,” said Domiguez. “It's a centerpiece for the connection that you see literally just in Northern Syracuse alone in the Cicero area.”
Dominguez noted that all of the projects nearing completion are on the outskirts of the city, and that’s by design.
"Bottom line is that we're taking care of everything to try and make sure that all of the work in and around the city of Syracuse is in really good shape so that when we actually move into the city of Syracuse to begin to take down the viaduct, people have a way to move literally around the city of Syracuse," she said.
Work on taking down the viaduct is expected to begin next year. The complete $225 billion project is expected to be finished in 2028.
