UPDATED: Friday, April 19 at 4 p.m.

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud publicly endorsed on Friday the community grid replacement option for the aging Interstate 81 viaduct.

Syverud’s endorsement comes after years of debate over the viaduct’s future from local and state politicians, activists and city businesses. SU had not taken a public position on the viaduct’s replacement until the chancellor’s endorsement.

“We were reluctant to endorse a specific replacement option because efforts to study and assess the implications of the various options—by New York State and numerous other stakeholder groups—were still in progress,” Syverud said in a campus-wide email just before 1 p.m. on Friday. “Much of that work is now complete.”

The future of the aging I-81 viaduct is currently unclear. I-81 travels less than a mile from SU’s campus and reached the end of its usable life in 2017. Three options to replace the interstate are currently on the table, including rebuilding the existing viaduct, digging an underground tunnel and the community grid. The community grid replacement option would demolish I-81 as it exists and reroute traffic onto city streets.

SU community members sent a letter with 160 signatories to Syverud in December 2018 calling on the chancellor to publicly endorse the community grid option.

Thomas Keck, a professor of political science at SU, co-wrote the December letter. In an email to The Daily Orange, Keck said he’s pleased with Syverud’s endorsement.

“I know that (Syverud) heard from many interested stakeholders, including a delegation of faculty members that I joined, and I’m grateful that he listened to and acted on our concerns,” Keck wrote. “It’s clear that the Grid is the best available option for the health of SU in particular and the broader Syracuse community more generally, and I’m hopeful that the decision-makers in Albany are listening.”

Supporters of the community grid option include Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, New York State Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) and state Assemblyman Albert Stirpe (D-Cicero) as well Syracuse Common Councilors, local business owners and activists.

“Syracuse University is a crucial stakeholder,” Walsh said Friday in a press release. “Given the university’s proximity to the Interstate 81 Viaduct and its connections to the entire region, I’m heartened that the University has reached this conclusion.”

Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) has not announced which replacement option he supports. The Onondaga County Supervisors and Mayors’ associations have advocated against the community grid option, claiming the redirection of traffic to city streets would hurt the communities surrounding Syracuse. 

Lawmakers have been unable to make a decision on the future of I-81, which bisects the city of Syracuse. The New York State Department of Transportation has not released a draft environmental impact statement detailing the environmental consequences of each replacement option. NYSDOT has repeatedly delayed the release of the report.

Syverud said the university has met with city, county, state, business and community leaders, along with SU community members, to determine the university’s position on I-81’s future.

“It is my view that the Community Grid option most strongly aligns with the attributes and outcomes that Syracuse University previously endorsed as central to any I-81 replacement option,” Syverud said.

Syverud said the benefits of the community grid include:

• “Robust” connection between University Hill and downtown
• Better public transportation and public space options
• Environmental and financial sustainability
• “Minimal disruption” to housing, business and jobs during and after construction

This post has been updated with additional reporting. 

Published on April 19, 2019 at 1:19 pm

Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18