The massive project to remove the Interstate 81 overpass in Syracuse is scheduled to be carried out in eight phases totaling $2.25 billion between now and the end of 2028. The state Department of Transportation has estimated start and finish times for each phase, which are highlighted below.
The Department of Transportation divided the massive project into eight contracts, with different teams of workers completing different sections of the highway.
The ultimate goal is to remove the 1.4-mile viaduct that runs through downtown and distribute traffic across the city’s roads. But first, the state will upgrade Interstate 481, the city’s beltway, to handle the city’s growing high-speed traffic. The project will involve millions of dollars’ worth of upgrades to bridges over Interstate 81, as well as sidewalks, lighting, and bike paths along the highway.
Work has already begun at the north and south interchanges where I-81 connects to I-481. The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of a fourth contract for work on portions of I-690 and roads leading to Syracuse University.
This table shows the planned start and end dates for each contract.
Eventually, I-481 will be renamed I-81, and the current I-81 will be called Business Loop 81. These future names are used in the table.
This map shows the overall project area. Numbers in colored boxes represent the contracts in the grid above.
This map shows a close-up view of downtown Syracuse.
Contract 1: Northern Interchange
The I-81 project is slated to begin in January 2023, with the state awarding the first contract to a group of companies operating under the name Salt City Constructors.
The contract is valued at $296.4 million. The team includes Lancaster Development and Tully Construction, doing business as L&T Construction, DA Collins Construction Co. and Cold Spring Construction Co.
Work would begin in summer 2023 at the current north interchange where I-81 meets I-481. The diagram below shows the changes.
The interchange will be rebuilt to provide a faster connection from I-81 to I-481, in order to direct faster traffic through the city before the state removes the I-81 overpass in downtown Syracuse.
The work will also add lanes, sound barriers and other improvements to the existing I-481 from the North Interchange to Kirksville Road.
The projected completion date is late 2025, according to the state Department of Transportation.
- answer: The existing northbound interchange between I-81 and I-481 would be reconfigured, and the future I-81 would have two lanes in each direction with a speed limit of 65 mph.
- B: The existing I-481 will be renamed I-81.
- C: The existing I-81 between the north and south interchanges with I-481 will be renamed Business Loop 81.
- D: The 481 west of the interchange will continue to be named State Route 481.
Contract 2: South Interchange
Work would begin in summer 2023 at the south interchange where the existing I-81 and I-481 meet south of Syracuse.
The contract went to a group of contractors calling themselves the CNY Alliance.
The group includes A. Servidone, Inc./B. Anthony Construction Corp., JV Rifenburg Construction Corp. and Crane-Hogan Structural Systems, Inc.
The deal is worth $384.5 million.
The contract will upgrade the I-81 south interchange and the existing I-481 to accommodate increased traffic detouring through the city. Work will primarily be from the I-481 interchange south of Syracuse to Kirksville Road.
The work will also see the introduction of a new roundabout in the city centre.
The first one is on Brighton Avenue.
This work will change how drivers heading south to Syracuse from the existing I-481 access I-81. The current ramp will be eliminated. Instead, drivers will exit the current I-481 at Brighton Avenue, go through a roundabout and enter I-81 at a new entrance on East Glenn Avenue, which will be moved slightly.
The state plans to build another roundabout a little south of the first one at Brighton Avenue, which would take drivers to Rock Cut Road and the existing I-481 northbound ramp.
This video shows how a roundabout works.
The second deal will also change traffic patterns at Exit 3 near Wegmans in DeWitt.
The plan would eliminate the current exit ramps southbound drivers use to exit I-481 and travel east toward Fayetteville and Manlius. Instead, drivers heading east or west on Route 5 would use the same exits. Route 5 would terminate at a new signal with four lanes.
The state also plans to add a lane at Lyndon Corners to create two lanes to turn onto Route 92 toward Manlius. The road will quickly revert to one lane just before the golf course pedestrian walkway.
The project is scheduled to begin in spring 2025 and be completed by the end of 2025.
The video and images below highlight the changes at the DeWitt exit and Lyndon Corners.
Current design of Exit 3 at DeWitt
DeWitt Exit 3 New Design
- E: The existing off-ramp from I-481 (future I-81) south to Routes 5/92 eastbound will be removed.
- F: The exit ramp from the existing I-481 (future I-81) south to Routes 5/92 westbound will be widened to two lanes and then to four lanes as it approaches Routes 5/92 (East Genesee Street), providing access in both westbound and eastbound directions.
- G: New traffic lights at the intersection will control traffic flow.
- H: The on-ramp from Route 5/92 westbound to the future I-81 northbound will be extended to Kinne Road.
Contract 3: Destiny USA and Inner Harbor
The third contract will upgrade access from I-81 to Destiny USA, the Inner Harbor and the North Side. As part of this step and Contract 7, some exits will be closed and a new interchange will be built at Bear Street.
The state also plans to improve North Clinton Street to serve as a more frequent route from downtown to the Inner Harbor and the Destiny USA neighborhood.
Four bridges will be replaced that carry the freeway from the Mall to Downtown. These bridges are located at Bear Street, Court Street, Spencer Street and Butternut Street. The Bear Street, Court Street and Spencer Street bridges are part of Contract No. 3. Work on the Butternut Street bridge is Contract No. 7.
Salt City Constructors was awarded the $218.9 million contract.
The red line below is the outline of the new entrance. Northbound on-ramps and off-ramps are planned at Bear Street as part of the seventh contract, starting in 2026 and finishing in late 2028. Southbound drivers will enter and exit the freeway at North Clinton Street. That work is scheduled to be part of the third contract, scheduled to begin next year.
The state plans to replace four bridges that carry the freeway from the Mall to Downtown. These are outlined in red in the diagram below. The new bridges at Bear, Court, Spencer and Butternut Streets will have pedestrian walkways and provide North Side residents with safe access to the Inner Harbor. The Bear, Court and Spencer Street bridges are part of contract 3. Work on the Butternut Street bridge is contract 7.
The section of North Clinton Street outlined in red below will have a shared bike and pedestrian path off the road, buffered by trees, and new on-street parking. The hope is that drivers will use this route instead of the freeway when traveling from Downtown to the Inner Harbor and Destiny USA. This is how the “Community Grid” concept works.
Contract 4: New I-690 Close Exit
The state plans to build a new interchange at the intersection of Crouse and Irving streets on I-690, giving drivers a new, more direct route to Syracuse University and hospitals. The goal is to have the exit functional before the elevated I-81 is demolished.
Contract 4 originally included work on both the Close and Irving Street entrances. The Irving Street work has now been moved to Contract 6. DOT planners felt it would make more sense to do that work at the same time as the rework of the entire stretch of I-690 east from Destiny USA to Downtown.
Work on Crouse Avenue remains scheduled for Contract 4.
Once the interchange is complete, drivers coming from the west side (or Baldwinsville) will be able to exit at Irving Avenue, while drivers heading east (from Manlius) will be able to exit the freeway at Crouse Avenue.
Once the Crouse Avenue exit is complete, the state will close the McBride Street and Townsend Street exits and entrances.
The state announced the winner of the bid on Friday. The section of highway will be built by CNY Alliance, the same contractor that was awarded the second contract.
The deal is worth $313.5 million.
Work is expected to begin this year and finish in late 2025.
This video explains how the new interchange will work.
Contract 5: New roundabout on Van Buren Street
The work is taking place on a section of I-81 from the South Interchange to downtown Syracuse, where the goal is to slow traffic as it approaches the street-level grid for the first time.
Activists have successfully lobbied the state to move the entrance further north, away from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. Currently, traffic that descends to street level goes through a roundabout on Van Buren Street.
State officials say they’re eager to begin discussions with neighbors about the roundabout’s design, which could include landscaping and signage to welcome drivers to Syracuse. It would also likely include a crosswalk. Residents could also have a say in the design of a soundproof mural, officials said.
Contract 6: West Street
Contract 6 is heading west to Syracuse.
The work will redesign the interchange between I-81 and I-690 near West Street.
This includes removing the ramps from West Street to Herald Place and from North Franklin Street to West Street. West Street will be lowered until it merges with Genesee Street on the south side of the new interchange.
The goal is to bring traffic to street level and open up access and views from the west side to downtown. Street and sidewalk improvements will better connect the Leavenworth and Park Avenue neighborhoods to Armory Square and downtown.
This portion of the project also includes a proposed new observation deck along the Creekwalk.
The contract also completes construction of new exits from I-690 onto Crouse and Irving streets east of downtown. The state will build a new Irving Avenue exit and extend Irving Avenue from the Syracuse University campus onto I-690, which will be used by drivers who live in west Syracuse. (The Crouse Avenue exit is in Contract 4.)
It will start in 2026 and end in 2028.
Contract 7: Bear Street
This contract is a continuation of work on a third contract that began near Destiny USA and the Inner Harbor. Generally, this contract will reconstruct the northbound on-ramp of I-81 and direct traffic to the new interchange at Bear Street.
The state will close the southbound on- and off-ramps at Genant Street, the northbound on- and off-ramps at Sunset Avenue and the State Street ramp to northbound I-81.
City officials say the project, combined with work on a third contract, has the potential to create a new residential and retail district near the Inner Harbor. The state plans to reconstruct a mostly vacant stretch of North Clinton Street to create more space for cars, bikes, pedestrians and parking. Drivers could use the street as a more direct route from downtown and Franklin Square to the lakefront.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026 and finish in 2028.
Contract 8: Viaduct
Finally, this final contract resolves the issue that started this project: state and federal governments have announced plans to remove the aging elevated highway through downtown Syracuse and move traffic to ground level.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026 and finish in late 2028.
Syracuse will be left with an improved Almond Street carrying north-south traffic, and the city is also exploring opportunities to change other traffic patterns and take advantage of vacant land left free by the freeway’s removal.
Interstate 81 Project Details
If you’re following the project, bookmark this timeline and check back for updates.
Contact Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186.
