Is Cuomo Ready to Rid Downtown Syracuse of I-81?

Speaking in Syracuse yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo appeared to indicate support for the removal of 3.75 miles of Interstate 81, the aging elevated highway that cuts through the heart of downtown.

"That could be a transformative project that really jump-starts the entire region," Cuomo said, according to the Post-Standard. "I-81 did a lot of damage -- a classic planning blunder. Let's build a road and bisect an entire community. That's an idea, yeah, let me write it down."

With the elevated portion of I-81 fast approaching the end of its useful life and in need of near-constant repairs, state officials have narrowed its future to two options: tear it down and replace it with a surface-level boulevard, or rebuild it -- which would most likely require widening the highway. A third option, an underground tunnel, is viewed as costly and infeasible.

The state DOT is in the midst of cost and environmental analyses of the remaining options, and is expected to issue a draft environmental impact statement by the end of the year. Cuomo did not explicitly say he supported a surface-level boulevard, but with the tunnel all but ruled out, if he wants to get rid of the highway it's the only option left.

Cuomo also indicated a readiness to get things moving. "We procrastinate," he said. "We wait for everyone to agree. You know when that day is going to come? Never. Never. If you wait for the perfect, you're never going to get there. You will do nothing. And that's just what we've done on I-81. We've done nothing. Find the best solution with the most agreement and move forward."

Cuomo has been on somewhat of a highway removal kick of late. Earlier this year, the state budget included $97 million to transform the Bronx's Moses-era Sheridan Expressway into a surface boulevard. And in April, the governor has lent his support to the proposed teardown of Buffalo's Kensington Expressway.

The governor's office has not responded to a Streetsblog inquiry asking whether his comments mean the state will go forward with the I-81 teardown.