Work Continues on NY's Largest Road Construction Project, the Syracuse I-81 Viaduct

This year’s work on the $2.25 billion Syracuse, New York, viaduct project – the largest road construction project in the New York State Department of Transportation's history – will include the completion of the project’s first contract, new on and off ramps and beginning work on a new roundabout.

The project will ultimately involve the demolition of the 1.4-mile viaduct that has split the city.

Betsy Parmley, project director for the I-81 Viaduct Project, told Equipment World the project’s first contract of Phase 1, which was awarded in early 2023, will finish work on modernizing the infrastructure at the northern intersection of Interstate 81 and Interstate 481 by the end of this year. Additionally, the majority of contract 2, which will complete work on a southern interchange for I-81 and I-481, should be done this year.

“We are currently in phase one of construction, and these are what we kind of think of as the preparatory phases, so we can eventually go downtown, take down that viaduct, reconnect the streets, reconnect the community in downtown Syracuse,” says Parmley.

Also in 2025, the project’s third contract will complete new on and off ramps for I-81 southbound, which will be part of the city’s future “Business Loop 81,” designed to pass through Syracuse and distribute traffic along the way.

“Contract 4 will be creating a new on ramp to I-690 eastbound and doing a substantial amount of realignment work and reconstruction work on I-690,” says Parmley. “And then we'll get started on our contract 5 ... to build the third roundabout that will be happening in the city of Syracuse and start bringing I-81 down to grade to become the future Business Loop 81.”

Some portions of I-81 were built as far back as the 1950s and 1960s, including the 1.4-mile viaduct near downtown Syracuse.

The five contracts for Phase 1 of the project also new and updated bridges.

“In our contract 1 area, which is that northern interchange of I-81 and I-41 we're basically just improving those connections, because I-41 will eventually become I-81,” she says. “So we're building flyover bridges from the future Business Loop 81 to the existing 81. We're improving other bridges to make those connections.

“In our contract 2, we're widening existing I-41 over a CSX rail yard and multi-modal area. So, although it's not a bridge replacement, we're widening those bridges, and we're using some pretty neat construction equipment. It's a gantry crane that operates on top of the highway, so we can place the steel and the concrete above versus impacting CSX operations below.”

Reconnecting the Community

A key topic in many of the viaduct project’s press releases is reconnecting communities that had been split by the construction of the viaduct decades ago.

“The 81 viaduct runs through a part of Syracuse that historically was known as the 15th Ward,” Parmley says. “There is an existing public housing development in this area. So, you know, oftentimes when we talk about the viaduct project, and I think our commissioner put it really well, is that the viaduct is literally a shadow over this community. So by removing this shadow, basically, we will have new connections for people to get east, west, north and south in the community. It will reduce the amount of traffic that's going through this downtown area next to this vulnerable community.”

Parmley also said the project did not have any funding tied up at the federal level with the new administration and is “full steam ahead.”

Count the Contracts

The project currently has four contracts undergoing work, with a fifth out for bid that will complete the first phase of construction. The first four contracts part of phase one, which began in 2023, include the following:

• Phase 1, Contract 1, $294 million awarded in January 2023 to Salt City Contractors, composed of Lancaster Development, Tully Construction Co., D.A. Collins Construction Co. and Cold Spring Construction Co. This contract includes reconstruction of the I-81/I-481 northern Interchange, with additional work including new ramps between the new I-81 and Business Loop 81, between the new I-81 and State Route 481 and the construction of a new South Bay Road bridge. This contract is forecast to be completed at the end of this year.
• Phase 1, Contract 2, $384.5 million awarded in July 2023 to CNY Alliance, composed of Rifenburg Companies, Servidone/B. Anthony Construction and Economy Paving Company Inc. This contract includes beginning conversion of the southern Interchange of I-481/I-81, with additional work including the modification of the new I-81 (former I-481) interchange with State Routes 5 and 92 in DeWitt (Exit 3) and expanding the corridor between I-690 and Kirkville Road (Exit 5). Anticipated completion by early 2026.
• Phase 1, Contract 3, $218.9 million awarded May 2024 to Salty City Contractors. It involves the reconstruction of city streets in the Inner Harbor and on the north side and builds on the construction underway at the northern and southern interchanges of Interstates 81 and 481. This contract is forecast to be completed at the end of 2026.
• Phase 1, Contract 4, $313.5 million awarded July 2024 to CNY Alliance, begins construction on the Community Grid along streets on Syracuse’s east side, in the former 15th Ward neighborhood. This contract is forecast to be completed in mid-2027.